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GLIMPSES 


TRUTH  AS  IT  IS  IN  JESUS 


REV.  OCTAVIUS  WINSLOW,  D.D., 

ADTHOR   OF   "THE   GLORY   OF   THE   REDEEMER,"   "MIDNIGHT   H ARMORIES,'' JtC.  &0. 


"Behold,  he  staudeth  behind  our  wall,  he  looketh  forth  at  the  windows,  showing 
himself  through  the  lattice."  —  Sol.  Song,  ii.  9. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
LINDSAY   &   BLAklSTON. 

1856. 


PREFACE 


The  title  of  the  present  volume  will  sufficiently 
explain  its  character  and  design.  Unlike  the 
previous  productions  of  the  same  pen,  it  presents 
no  continuity  of  subject, — each  chapter  forming  a 
uniting  link  in  the  chain  of  the  discussion ;  but  it 
exhibits  a  variety  of  themes,  having  no  essential 
relation  to  each  other,  save  that  which  the  rays  of 
light  may  be  said  to  possess  —  each  flowing  from 
the  same  source,  and  converging  to  the  same  centre. 
The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Sun  of  the  Christian 
system.  He  is  the  Fountain  and  the  embodiment 
of  all  divine  and  spiritual  truth.  Every  truth 
proceeds  from,  and  leads  to,  him.  The  mind  is 
furnished  with  real  knowledge  in  proportion  to  its 
advance  in  the  '  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus.'  We 
hesitate  not  emphatically  to  affirm,  that  there  is 
absolute  darkness  in  the  soul  of  man  —  be  his 
attainments  in  human  knowledge  profound  and 
brilliant  as  they  may  —  if  "God  who  commanded 

(iii) 


IV  PREFACE. 

the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  hath  not  shined 
in  his  heart  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ."  Oh  ! 
what  is  the  real  value  of  all  his  boasted  knowledge 
apart  from  this?  "What  though  the  philosopher 
has  ransacked  all  the  mysteries  of  nature,  if  he  is 
yet  ignorant  of  the  God  of  nature,  as  revealed 
through  Christ?  "What  though  the  astronomer 
revels  amidst  the  glories  of  the  material  heavens, 
if  he  is  experimentally  unacquainted  with  the  path 
by  which  he  may  arrive  at  the  glories  of  the  heaven 
of  heavens  ?  What  though  the  geometrician  may 
be  able  to  measure  all  quantity,  if  he  has  not 
bestowed  a  serious  thought  upon  the  measureless 
eternity  upon  which  he  is  soon  to  enter?  And 
what  though  the  physician,  skilled  in  the  science 
of  healing,  is  able  to  baffle  every  form  of  bodily 
disease,  if  he  has  no  knowledge,  in  the  cure  of  his 
own  moral  distemper,  of  the  balm  that  is  in  Gilead, 
and  of  the  Physician  w^ho  is  there  ?  We  ask,  what 
real  good,  as  it  regards  themselves,  does  it  avail  ? 
None  whatever.  See  the  vanity  of  all  human 
knowledge,  weighed  with  the  momentous  interests 
of  an  eternal  world,  save  that  which  makes  us  "  wise 
unto  salvation." 

It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  writer  in  the  following 
pages  to  exhibit   this   all-important  truth,  promi- 


PREFACE.  V 

nently  and  in  various  points  of  light.  The  work, 
in  consequence,  may  be  found  to  address  itself 
more  immediately  to  an  unrenewed  state  of  mind, 
or  to  a  mind  theoretically,  but  not  experimentally, 
acquainted  with  the  gospel,  than  perhaps  may 
please  the  taste,  or  realize  the  expectation  of  some. 
Nevertheless,  the  writer  trusts,  that  minds  matured 
in  grace  may  here  and  there  obtain  a  glimpse  of 
Jesus  and  of  his  truth  —  dim  and  imperfect  though 
it  may  be — which,  with  the  accompanying  blessing 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  will  instruct  and  comfort,  sanc- 
tify and  stimulate  the  soul  in  the  heavenly  way. 

It  is  proper  briefly  to  allude  to  the  history  of  this 
w^ork.  Scotland  is  its  birth-place.  It  contains  the 
substance  of  a  few  discourses  which  the  author 
delivered  from  the  pulpit  of  different  Christian 
denominations,  during  a  recent  visit  to  that  mag- 
nificent and  interesting  land.  Yielding  to  the 
desire  of  several,  for  whom  he  cherishes  the  ten- 
derest  Christian  love  —  albeit,  in  this  instance,  he 
may  not  commend  the  partiality  of  their  judgment 
—  they  are  snatched  from  assigned  oblivion,  and 
now  appear  in  another,  and  a  permanent  form. 
The  author  has  no  idea  that  the  solicitation  of 
friends  to  publish  is  always  a  valid  plea  for  inflict- 
ing a  new  volume  upon  the  public.  ]^or  has  it  in 
the  present  case,  he  thinks,  blinded  his  eye  to  the 
1* 


VI  PREFACE. 

very  imperfect  manner  in  which  he  has  performed 
his  task.  And  3^et  but  for  this  prompting,  which  he 
would  fain  trace  to  a  higher  influence,  he  had  never 
undertaken  it.  If,  however,  the  same  blessed  Spirit 
who  condescended  to  speak  by  these  truths  from 
the  pulpit,  will,  to  the  same  extent,  speak  by  them 
from  the  press,  the  utmost  wish  of  the  author's  heart 
will  be  granted.  He  cannot  refrain  from  saying,  that 
his  work  is  literally  ushered  into  the  world  upon  the 
breath  of  prayer.  The  intimations  which  he  has  re- 
ceived from  various  quarters,  of  the  especial  and 
fervent  supplications  which  have  been  made  in  its  be- 
half, encourage  him  to  hope  that  much  glory  to  the 
Lord  will  accrue  from  this  feeble  production  of  his  pen. 
The  author  cannot  close  this  allusion  to  the  origin 
of  his  volume,  without  being  permitted  to  remark, 
that  one^  who  earnestly  pleaded  for  its  publication, 
has  since  then  passed  away  from  earth,  to  the  world 
of  full  revelation,  of  complete  holiness,  and  of  per- 
fect love.  The  event  has  had  the  effect,  he  trusts, 
of  imparting  to  his  own  mind,  in  tracing  these 
pages,  more  vivid  and  realizing  views  of  eternity. 
Strange  though  it  may  appear,  he  has  felt  a  con- 
sciousness of  her  nearness,  more  palpable  and  sweet, 
than  when  last  he  bowed  with  her  at  the  throne  of 
grace,  and  in  the  midst  of  her  own  domestic  circle. 
The  home  of  the  glorified  is  of  more  easy  access,  in 


PREFACE.  vn 

the  spirit's  travel,  than  any  home  of  earth.  In  the 
realization  of  faith,  and  in  the  anticipations  of  hope, 
and  in  the  yearnings  of  love,  Heaven  is  a  nearer 
point  than  Kennet.  It  is  with  the  immaterial  that 
we  have  communion ;  it  is  with  mind  that  we  con- 
verse ;  it  is  with  spirit  that  we  hlend.  And  the  more 
full  their  development,  and  the  more  complete  their 
nature,  the  sweeter  is  the  intercourse,  and  the  higher 
is  the  enjoyment.  And  ^-et,  though  thus  exercising 
that  "  faith  which  is  the  substance  of  things  hoped 
for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen,"  we  are  forced 
to  exclaim,  "  0  the  mystery  of  the  invisible  world ! 
Where  are  the  loved,  the  beautiful,  and  the  holy, 
who  have  flitted  from  us  and  have  disappeared  ? 
Do  they  know  us — do  they  see  us  —  do  they  attend 
us — do  they  love  us  still  ?"  But  this  we  do  know — 
that  they  are  holy  and  happy,  for  they  are  with 
Christ,  and  are  like  him.  And  of  this,  too,  w^e  may 
be  well  assured,  that  to  us  the  awful  mystery  will 
soon  be  explained ;  and  we  who  are  now  wondering 
at  the  departed,  will  be  Svondered  at,'  for  we  shall 
mingle  with  the  '  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,' 
'  knowing  even  as  we  are  known.'  But  let  us  follow 
her,  as  she  followed  Christ.  She  loved  the  Lord  — 
she  lived  for  the  Lord — and  she  waited  and  looked 
for  the  comino;  of  the  Lord — and  now  she  is  forever 
with  the  Lord.     She  needs   not  these  partial  and 


Vm  PKEFACE. 

shadowy  *  glimpses  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus;' 
for  the  full,  the  unclouded  vision  of  the  Lamb  is 
hers.  She  has  passed  within  the  vail,  whither  the 
Forerunner  had  for  her  entered,  and  she  has  '  come 
to  Jesus  the  Mediator  of  the  'New  Covenant,'  and  she 
sees  him, —  not  'through  a  glass  darkly,' — but  face 
to  face.  Her  posture  was  always  that  of  a  lowly 
sinner,  leaning  in  simple  faith  upon  the  atoning  work 
of  Immanuel.  Her  natural  amiability  and  loveliness, 
great  and  admired  as  they  were,  never  concealed 
from  her  view  the  plague  of  her  own  heart,  nor 
beguiled  her  from  the  great  truth,  that  only  as  she 
stood  in  the  righteousness  of  the  incarnate  Son, 
could  she  appear  with  acceptance  in  the  presence  of 
the  holy  Lord  God.  Never  was  there  an  instance 
of  more  entire  laying  down  of  self  at  the  foot  of  the 
cross,  drawing  from  it  the  motives  that  led  to  a 
simple  and  unreserved  surrender  to  the  Lord.  Thus 
clothed  in  the  '' righteousness  of  God,"  w^e  believe 
that  she  is  '  without  fault  before  the  throne,'  adoring 
the  grace  that  brought  her  there. 

Leamington  Spa. 


CONTENTS 


CPIAPTER  I. 

THK  VOICE  OP  THE  CHARMER PAGE   11 

CHAPTER  II. 

ALONE    WITH    JESUS 36 

CHAPTER   III. 

THE    pastor's    request   FOR    THE    PRAYERS    OF    HIS    FLOCK 61 

CHAPTER  IV. 

A    WORD    IN    SEASON   FROM    CHRIST   TO    THE   WEARY 99 

CHAPTER   V. 

THE    AXE    LAID    AT    THE    ROOT.. 126 

CHAPTER  VI. 

BROKEN   CISTERNS 154 

CHAPTER   VII. 

THE  COMING  OF  THE  LORD  IN  ITS  RELATION  TO  NOMINAL  CHRISTIANITY,    186 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

CHRISTIAN    LOVE,    A   TEST    OF    CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER 224 

(ix) 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  TRUTH. 

CHAPTEE  I. 

THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER. 

"Which  will  not  hearken  to  the  voice  of  charmers,  charming  never  so 
wisely." — Psalm  Iviii.  5. 

How  glorious  is  the  nature,  and  what  an  inesti- 
mable blessing  to  man,  socially  and  individually 
considered,  is  the  Gospel  of  Christ!  It  is  a 
revelation  of  the  most  stupendous  expedient,  and 
a  solution  of  the  profoundest  problem  that  ever 
interested  the  heart,  or  engaged  the  thought 
of  the  Eternal  Mind.  The  salvation  of  guilty 
man  secured  in  a  way  consistent  with  infinite 
holiness  —  the  claims  of  stern  justice  reconciled 
w^th  the  pleadings  of  divine  mercy  —  the  moral 
government  of  God  vindicated  —  and  love,  the 
favourite  perfection  of  his  nature,  indulged  — 
form  the  one  sublime  and  precious  theme  of 
which  it  speaks  in  strains  of  new-born  and  un- 
heard-of melody.  "Well  does  the  Holy  Spirit 
entitle  it,  the  '^glorious  Gospel  of  the  blessed 
God."  Thus,  w^hile  this  Gospel  is  to  the  sinner 
the  golden  chain  of  grace  low^ered  to  the  very 
depth  of  his  wretchedness  and  woe,  it  is  an  all-en- 

(11) 


12  THE   VOICE   OF  THE   CHARMER. 

circling  shield  thrown  around  the  purity  and  the 
honour  of  that  Being  to  whose  nature  it  assimilates, 
and  to  whose  communion  it  lifts  him. 

And  yet,  strange  to  saj^,  man,  the  only  creature 
personally  interested  in  this  wondrous  revelation,  is 
of  all  intelligences  the  least  astonished  at  its  glories, 
or  affected  by  its  appeals.  Angels  scan  its  mysteries, 
and  adore  —  devils  believe  its  announcements,  and 
tremble ;  but  man,  whom  it  most  deeply  concerns, 
and  to  whom  it  is  especially  sent,  "  will  not  hearken 
to  the  voice  of  charmers,  charming  never  so  wisel}^" 
May  the  Spirit  of  truth  and  love  impart  his  own 
blessing,  while  we  proceed  to  consider  the  nature  of 
the  gospel  charm,  and  the  guilt  and  consequences 
of  its  wilful  neglect. 

By  every  reflective  and  right-thinking  mind,  the 
gospel  Avill  be  regarded  as  the  most  invaluable  boon 
God  ever  bestowed  upon  our  nation,  while  its  with- 
drawal would  be  the  greatest  calamity  that  could 
arrest  its  prosperity  and  blight  its  happiness.  The 
unenlightened  philosopher,  the  political  economist, 
and  the  wily  statesman,  may  dispute  the  justness  of 
this  sentiment;  but  man's  unbelief  cannot  invali- 
date God's  truth.  Let  God  be  true,  and  every  man 
whose  opinions  contravene  His  veracity,  be  a  liar, 
rather  than  that  God  were  false.  The  gospel  has 
made  us,  as  a  nation,  all  that  we  are  —  great,  privi- 
leged, and  free.  Her  greatness,  her  privileges,  and 
her  freedom,  Britain  owes  not  to  the  wisdom  of  her 
legislation,  to  the  influence  of  her  letters,  or  to  the 
prowess  of  her  arms ;   but  to  Christianity,  and  to 


THE    VOICE    OF    THE    CHARMER.  13 

Christianity  alone.  But  for  this,  she  had  still  been 
Massed  with  the  idolatrous  nations  of  the  east. 
When  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles  planted  his 
foot  upon  her  shores,  and,  amidst  the  heathen  fanes 
and  idolatrous  shrines  consecrated  to  "Woden,  to 
Thor,  and  to  Tuesco,  proclaimed  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  he  laid  the  foundation  of  all  her  future 
glory.  And  although  there  have  been  periods  in 
her  remarkable  history  when  the  pale  star  of  Popery 
has  seemed  in  the  ascendant,  and  the  sun  of  gospel 
truth  has  for  a  while  been  obscured,  yet  the  morn- 
ing has  again  dawned — a  "morning  without 
clouds" — and  emerging  from  beneath  the  veil  of 
night,  it  has  shone  forth  with  increased  power  and 
splendour,  covering  with  overwhelming  defeat 
every  attempt  to  banish  it  from  the  land.  And  so  it 
will  continue  to  confound  its  enemies  until  the  last 
conquest  it  achieves  shall  usher  in  the  coming  of  the 
Son  of  man.  We  might  also  adduce  the  history  of 
the  Western  World  as  affording  another  evidence 
of  the  gospel  as  a  national  blessing.  Contrast  the 
present  elevated  moral,  intellectual,  and  social 
condition  of  America,  with  the  period,  but  recent, 
when  the  Indian  paddled  his  canoe  along  her 
majestic  waters,  and  the  smokeof  his  rude  wigwam, 
and  the  yell  of  his  senseless  worship,  rose  amid  the 
stillness  and  the  gloom  of  his  unbroken  forests; 
and  to  the  inquiry,  "  What  has  so  rapidlj^  advanced 
and  so  far  elevated  her  in  the  scale  of  civilized  na- 
tions?" we  unhesitatingly  reply,  "  the  glorious  gospel 
of  the  blessed  God,"  planted  upon  her  shores  by  the 


14         THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER. 

labours,  and  nourished  by  the  prayers,  the  sacrifices, 
and  the  tears  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  "  of  whom' 
the  world  was  not  w^orthy."  We  have  made  and 
have  given  this  prominence  to  these  remarks,  feeling 
their  importance  and  necessity.  There  exists  a 
marvellous  tendency  to  undervalue  the  influence  of 
Christianity  as  a  great  national  blessing.  Civiliza- 
tion, education,  and  science  are  thrust  forward,  as 
though  all  our  greatness  and  true  glory  had  been 
achieved  by,  and  would  be  perpetuated  through,  them. 
It  is  alarming  to  think  of  the  progress  which  these 
semi-infidel  views  are  making.  But  as  the  gospel 
alone  made,  so  the  gospel  alone  can  preserve  us 
w^hat  we  are.  Christianity  is  the  basis  of  our  insti- 
tutions, and  the  bulwark  of  our  strength.  Our  very 
existence  as  a  nation  depends  upon  it.  The  setting 
of  this  sun,  to  change  the  figure,  would  be  the  pre- 
cursor of  a  fearful  night  of  moral  and  intellectual 
gloom,  the  signal  for  every  foul  spirit  of  darkness 
to  emerge  from  his  hiding-place,  and  stalk  in 
triumph  through  the  land.  Let  us  hold  fast  the 
pure  gospel.  Nothing  but  its  diffusion  can  retain  it 
in  our  midst,  l^o  civil  power  can  preserve  it.  It 
must  take  hold  on  the  masses,  it  must  enthrone  it- 
self on  the  hearts,  embody  itself  in  the  intellects, 
and  incorporate  itself  with  the  habits  of  the  people. 
To  attain  this  end,  we  must  circulate  the  Bible,  sus- 
tain the  divine  institution  of  the  Christian  ministry, 
live  the  gospel  individualh%  and  be  more  earnest 
and  united  in  prayer  for  a  deeper  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  upon  our  churches.     But  it  is  of  the 


THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER.         15 

relation  of  man  to  the  gospel,  as  an  individual,  and 
not  as  a  societ}^,  we  are  particularly  to  speak  in  the 
present  chapter. 

And  in  the  foreground  let  us  contemplate  tlie 
eliarming  Saviour  whom  the  gospel  reveals,  —  the 
Saviour  of  God's  providing,  and  in  all  points  of 
view  a  gift  worthy  of  so  great  and  glorious  a  Giver. 
There  are  two  passages  of  God's  word  which  convey 
to  the  mind  the  most  forcible  and  exalted  views 
of  the  personal  excellence  and  dignity  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  at  which  we  may  give  a  rapid  glance.  The 
first  portrays  his  matchless  beauty,  the  second  his 
incomprehensible  greatness.  "  Thou  art  fairer  than 
the  children  of  men  :  grace  is  poured  into  thy  lips ; 
therefore  God  hath  blessed  thee  for  ever,"  Psal.  xlv. 
2.  This  doubtless  refers  to  the  perfection  of  his 
human  excellence.  As  man  his  beauty  transcends 
the  comeliest  of  human  beings — "  fairer  than  the 
children  of  men."  Their  beauty  is  mixed ;  his  is  pure. 
Theirs  is  derived ;  his  is  from  himself.  Theirs 
decays;  his  is  imperishable.  His  body  prepared  by 
God  ;  his  mind  filled  Vv'ith  all  the  wisdom,  grace, 
and  holiness  of  the  Spirit, — he  stands  forth  the 
"bright  and  morning  star,"  the  perfect,  peerless 
Son  of  man.  O  for  an  eye  to  see  and  admire  his 
excellence  !  and  not  admire  only,  but  to  imitate. 
0  for  grace  to  lie  at  his  feet,  and  learn  from  his 
meekness  !  to  lean  on  his  bosom  and  drink  of  his 
love;  to  set  the  Lord  always  before  us,  never  mov- 
ing the  eye  from  this  perfect  model,  but  ever  aiming 
to  transcribe  its   lineaments  upon   our  daily   life. 


16  THE   VOICE   OF   THE    CHARMER. 

Yes  !  thou  art  "fairer  than  the  children  of  men  !" 
thou  altogether  lovely  One  !  And  as  I  gaze  upon 
thy  perfections,  wandering  from  beauty  to  beauty, 
my  admiration  increases,  and  my  love  deepens, 
•until,  in  the  assurance  of  faith,  and  in  the  transport 
of  joy,  I  exclaim,  "  this  is  my  Beloved,  and  this  is 
my  Friend." 

Eespecting  his  superior  nature,  not  less  clear  and 
emphatic  is  the  declaration  of  his  essential  great- 
ness. "  No  man  knoweth  the  Son  but  the  Father," 
Matt.  xi.  27.  Surely  these  words  are  sufficient  to 
remove  all  doubt  as  to  his  Deity.  Were  he  only 
man,  with  what  truth  could  it  be  affirmed  of  him, 
that  "  no  man  knoweth  the  Son  ?"  It  is  the 
property  of  an  angel,  that  he  understands  the 
angelic  nature ;  and  of  man,  that  he  understands 
the  human  nature.  It  is  the  perfection  of  God  that 
He  only  understands  the  nature  of  God.  Who, 
then,  but  the  Infinite,  can  measure  the  infinite 
greatness  of  the  Son  of  God  ?  The  loftiest  created 
imagination,  the  mightiest  human  intellect,  the 
profoundest  angelic  research,  falls  infinitely  short 
of  what  he  is.  The  Father  alone  knoweth  the  Son, 
because  he  is  of  the  same  nature  and  mind  with  the 
Father.  Beware  of  holding  this  doctrine  lightly. 
A  more  important  one — one  more  glorious  or  more 
precious,  asks  not  the  confidence  of  your  faith. 
Ilold  it  fast,  even  as  the  vessel  in  the  storm  clings 
to  its  anchor.  This  gone,  the  next  mountain  wave 
drives  you  upon  the  quicksand  of  doubt  and 
perplexity,  and  then  w^here  are  you  ?    Consider  how 


THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER.         17 

important  must  be  that  single  trutb,  on  which  the 
vahie,  the  preciousness,  and  the  efficacy  of  all  other 
truths  depend.  Such  a  truth  is  the  Godhead  of 
Christ. 

How  glorious  an  object,  then,  is  this  Saviour, 
whom  the  gospel  thus  reveals !  It  is  true  his 
essential  greatness,  like  the  peace  which  he  himself 
gives,  "  surpasseth  all  understanding  ;"  j-et  like  that 
peace,  he  may  be  known,  though  he  cannot  be 
measured.  "We  may  know  experimentally,"  as 
Owen  beautifully  remarks,  "  that  which  we  cannot 
know  comprehensively ;  w^e  may  know  that  in  its 
power  and  effect,  which  we  cannot  comprehend  in 
its  nature  and  depths.  A  weary  person  may  receive 
refreshment  from  a  spring,  who  cannot  fathom  the 
depth  of  the  ocean  from  w^hence  it  proceeds." 
That  this  is  true  of  the  "love  of  Christ,  which 
surpasseth  knowledge,"  is  equally  true  of  the  person 
of  Christ  himself,  whom  "  no  man  knoweth  but  the 
Father."  Think  not  that  all  his  beauty  is  con- 
cealed. They,  in  whom  it  has  pleased  the  Father 
to  reveal  his  Son,  "  behold  his  glory  ;"  they  "  see  the 
King  in  his  beauty;"  the  discovery  of  his  excel- 
lence often  captivates  their  soul,  and  the  sense  of  his 
love  often  cheers  their  hearts ;  while  in  lively  faith 
and  joy  they  exclaim,  "  I  am  my  Beloved's,  and  my 
Beloved  is  mine." 

Take  one  more  view  of  Him  who  is  the  "  chief 

among  ten  thousand."    Look  at  his  sinless,  yet  real 

humanity ;  without  a  single  taint,  yet  sympathizing 

with  all  the   conditions  of  ours :    afflicted   in   our 
9  * 


18         THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHAKMEE. 

afflictions;  tempted  in  our  temptations;  infirm  in 
our  infirmities ;  grieved  in  our  griefs ;  ''  wounded 
for  our  transgressions,  bruised  for  our  iniquities ;" 
and  now  that  he  is  in  glory,  still  cherishing  a 
brother's  heart,  bending  down  his  ear  to  our 
petitions,  ever  standing  near  to  catch  our  sighs,  to 
dry  our  tears,  to  provide  for  our  wants,  to  guide  us 
by  his  counsel,  and  afterwards  to  receive  us  to  glor}^ 
O  what  a  Saviour  is  Jesus  Christ !  Wonder  not,  my 
readers,  that  when  he  is  known,  all  other  beings 
are  eclipsed;  that  when  his  beauty  is  seen,  all 
other  beauty  fades ;  that  when  his  love  is  felt,  he 
becomes  supremely  enthroned  in  the  aftections  ;  and 
that  to  know  him  more,  is  the  one  desire  of  the  re- 
newed mind,  and  to  make  him  more  known,  is  the 
one  aim  of  the  Christian  life. 

Wliat  charming  tidings^  too,  does  the  gospel 
announce  !  Take  the  doctrine  of  Pardon,  the  very 
mention  of  which  thrills  the  soul  with  gladness. 
Pardon  through  the  blood-shedding  of  God's  dear 
Son  for  "all  manner  of  sin,"  and  for  the  chief  of 
sinners !  What  myriads  have  gone  to  glory, 
exulting  with  their  expiring  breath  in  those 
melodious  words,  "  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his 
Son  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin  !  "  Is  there  no  music 
in  this  declaration  to  the  ear  of  a  sin-burdened 
soul  ?  And  when  the  called  children  of  God  behold 
in  that  blood  of  Immanuel  the  sea  which  has 
drowned  all  their  sins,  the  fountain  which  has 
cleansed  all  their  guilt,  the  source  of  their  recon- 
ciliation, the  cause  of  their  peace,  and  the  ground 


THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER.         19 

of  their  access, — is  not  the  gospel  a  joyful  sound  to 
their  ears  ?  And  yet  how  few  live  in  the  full  enjoy- 
ment of  this  truth,  —  "  Thou  will  cast  all  my  sins 
behind  thy  back."  "Thou  hast  forgiven  all  their 
iniquity."  "I  have  blotted  out  as  a  cloud  thy 
transgressions,  and  as  a  thick  cloud  thy  sins." 
Precious  truth !  Since  God  hath  spoken  it,  faith 
exclaims,  "  I  believe  it.  On  this  I  can  live  holily, 
and  on  this  I  can  die  happily." 

The  gospel  speaks,  too,  of  a  Righteousness, 
which  places  the  believing  sinner  in  a  state  of 
complete  justification  —  a  righteousness  better  than 
that  of  Moses,  and  superior  to  that  of  angels,  because 
it  is  the  "righteousness  of  God  himself."  Among 
the  many  glorious  names  which  our  Immanuel  bears 
is,  "  Jehovah  our  Righteousness."  He  is  made  from 
God  the  righteousness  of  his  people,  1  Cor.  i.  30. 
As  their  law-fulfiller,  obeying;  as  their  surety, 
suffering  in  their  stead,  they  become  the  righteous- 
ness of  God  in  Him,  2  Cor.  v.  21 ;  so  that  the  very 
name  itself  which  Jesus  bears  in  connexion  with 
our  justification  becomes  ours.  "In  those  days 
shall  Judah  be  saved,  and  Jerusalem  shall  dwell 
safely :  and  this  is  the  name  by  which  she  shall  be 
called,  Jehovah  our  Righteousness,"  Jer.  xxxiii.  16. 
Thus  the  believer  wears  the  clothing,  and  takes  the 
name  of  Him,  Avho  is  emphatically  the  husband  of 
his  Church.  See  how  co7nplete  she  is  in  him, — 
Colos.  ii.  10.  How  glorious,  —  Eph.  v.  7.  How 
comely,  Ezek.  xvi.  14.  In  this  righteousness  she  is 
exalted^   Psal.   Ixxxix.    16;    and   in    this   it   is   lier 


20  THE   VOICE   OF   THE    CHARMER. 

privilege  greatly  to  rejoice^  Isa.  Ixi.  10.  Is  this 
righteousness  yours,  my  reader?  Have  you  cast 
aside  the  defiled,  worm-eaten  garment  in  which  by 
nature  you  stand ;  and  are  you  clothed  in  the  fine 
linen,  clean  and  white,  which  is  the  righteousness 
of  the  saints  ?  Rev.  xix.  8.  Search  and  see  !  You 
may  have  gone  far  in  a  profession  of  Christ,  in  a 
visible  enrolment  among  his  people ;  and  yet  were 
the  King  to  enter  the  banqueting-room  where  you 
sit  partaking  the  symbols  of  his  death,  to  see  the 
guests,  it  is  possible  that  in  view  of  his  solemn, 
searching  inspection,  you  may  be  found  not  having 
on  the  righteousness  of  Christ.  But  if  you  have 
renounced  your  own  merits,  and  have  fled  entirely 
from  yourself  to  Jesus,  then  to  this  sweet  note  of  the 
joyful  sound,  your  heart  responds,  exclaiming,  "  In 
the  Lord  have  I  righteousness;"  ''My  soul  shall 
make  her  boast  in  the  Lord ;  the  humble  shall  hear 
thereof  and  be  glad."  Standing  in  this  perfect, 
spotless  robe,  you  will  aim  after  a  life  correspond- 
ing, with  a  privilege  so  exalted;  and  whether  liv- 
ing or  dying,  you  will  be  openly  and  manifestly  the 
Lord's. 

A  Free  Grace  voice  will  possess  a  charm  to  the 
spiritual  ear  which  no  word  of  man  can  fully 
express, — and  this  is  the  true  idea  of  the  gospel. 
But  for  this,  what  charm  to  a  convinced  sinner 
would  the  gospel  of  Jesus  possess  ?  How  could  the 
rest,  the  privileges,  and  the  blessings  of  this  great 
charter  of  divine  mercy  raise  a  solitary  emotion  of 
gladness  in  the  heart,  were  they  not  the  gratuities 


THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER.         21 

of  the  God  of  grace?  What  music,  think  yon,  to 
the  ear  of  a  condemned  felon  would  be  the  pardon 
of  his  sovereign,  were  it  upon  terms  which  the  very 
circumstances  of  his  case  rendered  unavailable? 
"What  a  cruel  mockery  would  it  be  of  his  helpless- 
ness, and  what  a  bitter  taunting  of  his  woe  !  But 
stand  upon  the  threshold  of  his  gloomy  cell,  and 
read  to  him  in  tones  worthy  of  the  announcement, 
a  free,  unconditional  pardon ;  throw  wide  open  his 
door,  knock  off  his  chains,  and  "  say  to  the  prison- 
er, Go  forth,"  with  no  obligations  imposed,  but  such 
as  boundless  goodness  would  dictate,  and  such  as 
deathless  gratitude  would  recognize, — loyality  to  a 
sovereign  so  gracious  and  benignant — and  you  do 
indeed  bear  to  him  glad  tidings.  You  irradiate  his 
dark  dungeon  with  brightness,  and  you  fill  his 
desolate  heart  with  joy.  Such  are  the  tidings 
which  the  Gospel  proclaims.  Listen  to  it  — 
mellifluent  are  its  accents:  ^'By  grace  are  ye 
saved  through  faith,  and  that  not  of  yourselves, 
it  is  the  gift  of  God."  "  It  is  of  faith  that  it  might 
be  b}^  grace."  "Without  money  and  without 
price."  "And  when  they  had  nothing  to  pay,  he 
frankly  forgave  them  both."  "Come  and  take  of 
the  water  of  life  freely."  Art  thou  a  self-destroyed, 
self-condemned,  bankrupt  sinner,  with  7wthwg  to 
pay  ?  Then  may  you  exclaim,  "  Never  was  music 
so  sweet  to  me  as  this  !  Salvation  free  !  Eedemp- 
tion  without  money!  Heaven  without  creature 
merit!      All  springing  from  the    heart    of   God, 


22         THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER. 

and    flowing   down   through   the   channel   of    the 
Saviour's  merits !" 

As  a  system  of  Divine  and  unfailing  Consolation, 
there  is  a  charm  in  the  gospel  of  Jesus  of  indes- 
cribable sweetness.  Originating  with  that  God,  not 
only  whose  name  and  whose  perfection,  but  whose 
very  essence  is  love,  and  who  Himself  is  the  "  God 
of  all  comfort,"  it  must  be  a  gospel  of  "strong 
consolation  "  commensurate  with  every  conceivable 
sorrow  of  his  people.  Let  those  testify  who,  amidst 
the  trials  and  the  conflicts  of  their  pilgrimage,  have 
thus  experienced  it.  Indeed  it  is  only  by  this  test 
that  its  real  character  can  be  estimated.  As  we  can 
convey  no  adequate  idea  of  sound  to  the  deaf,  of 
colour  to  the  blind,  or  of  life  to  the  dead,  neither 
can  w^e  by  the  most  elaborate  reasoning  or  eloquent 
description,  impart  to  a  mind  estranged  from  sorrow 
—  if  such  there  be  —  any  proper  conception  of  the 
magic  power  of  the  gospel,  as  a  consummate  system 
of  the  richest  consolation  and  support.  But  let  a 
Christian  be  placed  in  circumstances  of  the  deepest 
grief  and  sorest  trial — the  bread  and  tlie  water  of 
affliction  his  food — the  iron  entering  his  soul  —  the 
heart  bereaved — the  mind  perplexed — the  spirit  dark 
— all  human  hopes  blighted,  and  creature  cisterns 
failing  him  like  a  spring  in  the  summer's  drought ; 
then  let  the  Spirit  of  God,  the  Divine  Paraclete, 
open  this  box  of  perfume,  breathing  into  his  soul 
the  rich  consolations,  the  precious  promises,  the 
strong  assurances,  the  divine  counsels,  and  the 
glowing  hopes  which  it  contains,  and  in  a  moment 


THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER.         23 

the  light  of  love  appears  in  his  dark  cloud,  his 
fainting"  spirit  revives,  and  all  is  peace.  Oh !  that 
must  be  a  charming  gospel  which  can  meet  the 
necessities  of  man  at  every  point ;  whose  wisdom 
no  human  perplexity  can  baffle,  and  whose 
resources  of  sympathy  and  comfort  no  case  of 
suffering  or  of  sorrow  can  exhaust.  Tried  soul ! 
repair  to  this  unfailing  spring  of  comfort.  God 
speaks  to  thee  in  it — it  is  the  unsealing  of  the  heart 
of  Jesus  —  it  is  the  still  small  voice  of  the  Spirit. 
It  speaks  to  thee  —  it  bids  thee  "  cast  thy  burden  on 
the  Lord,  and  he  will  sustain  thee ;"  "  Call  upon 
him  in  the  day  of  trouble,  and  he  will  answer  thee." 
It  assures  you  that  amidst  all  your  perplexing  cares, 
"  He  careth  for  you."  It  promises  you  that  for 
your  flint-paved  path,  your  "  shoes  shall  be  iron  and 
brass;"  and  that  "as  your  days  are,  so  shall  your 
strength  be."  It  tells  you  that  a  "woman  may 
forget  her  sucking  child,  yet  will  not  God  forget 
you  ;"  that  in  all  your  assaults,  you  "  shall  dwell  on 
high,  your  place  of  defence  shall  be  the  munitions 
of  rocks ;"  and  that  though  hemmed  in  on  every 
side  by  a  besieging  foe,  and  all  other  supplies  cut 
off,  yet  "your  bread  shall  be  given  you,  and  your 
water  shall  be  sure."  It  invites  you  to  lay  your 
griefs  and  weep  out  your  sorrows  upon  the  bosom 
of  Jesus,  and  so  "  leaning  upon  your  Beloved, 
ascend  from  the  wilderness."  Oh !  to  be  led 
into  the  heart-felt  experience  of  these  truths,  even 
while  passing  through  billows  of  sorrow  to  a 
martyr's  flames  ! 


24         THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER. 

E'ot  the  least  important  and  endearing  element 
of  the  Gospel  to  a  believer's  heart,  is  its  Holiness. 
All  its  truths  to  him  are  precious,  because  the 
tendency  of  all  is  to  sanctify.  What  to  him  were 
its  soothing  consolations  dissevered  from  its  holy 
precepts  ?  What  were  its  comfort,  if  that  comfort 
were  secured  at  the  expense  of  holiness  ?  What 
though  it  dried  his  tears,  but  subdued  not  his  cor- 
ruptions ?  What  though  it  assuaged  the  fountain 
of  his  grief,  while  it  left  that  of  his  sins  unchecked  ? 
Its  greatest  charm  were  gone  !  No ;  he  would 
desire  guidance,  instruction,  and  consolation,  only 
so  far  as  they  advanced  his  divine  conformity.  He 
longs,  he  pants,  he  prays,  to  be  a  holi/  child  of  God. 
That  he  so  often  and  so  far  misses  his  mark — that 
he  is  so  frequently  foiled,  disappointed,  and  forced 
back,  in  his  strivings  after  sauctification,  is  to  him 
the  bitterest  of  bitter  sorrows.  But  when  at  any 
time,  and  in  any  degree,  he  is  enabled  through 
grace  to  "do  the  will  of  God  from  the  heart," 
and  when  in  the  great  conflict  of  faith  he  advances 
to  the  foe,  and  covers  that  advance  with  glory,  or 
retreats  only  to  eclipse  the  glory  of  his  advance,  a 
shout  more  full  of  music  never  rose  to  heaven,  than 
that  which  breaks  from  his  adoring  hps,  "  Thanks 
be  to  God  who  giveth  us  the  victory,  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

The  "charmers,"  from  whose  lips  this  divine 
melody  proceeds,  are  the  true  ministers  of  Christ, 
whom  he  has  chosen,  called,  and  furnished  with 
grace  and  gifts,  and  to  whom  he  has  committed  a 


THE    VOICE   OF   THE   CHARMER.  25 

dispensation  of  the  gospel.  Their  appointment  is 
from  God;  their  succession  is  from  Christ;  their 
anointing  for,  and  designation  to,  the  work  are  from 
the  Holy  Spirit.  He  himself,  though  a  minister  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  is  but  an  "earthen  vessel," 
encompassed  with,  and  often  well  nigh  crushed  by 
the  infirmity  of  which  he  is,  in  common  with  others, 
the  subject.  "  For  every  high  priest  taken  from 
among  men,  is  ordained  for  men,  in  things  pertain- 
ing to  God, ....  who  can  have  compassion  on  the 
ignorant,  and  on  them  that  are  out  of  the  way ; 
for  that  he  himself  is  compassed  with  infirmity," 
Heb.  V.  1,  2.  He  is  often  alarmed  by  the  thought 
that  truth  so  divine  and  so  pure  should  flow  through 
a  channel  so  earthly  and  so  defiled :  and  that  to  an 
office  so  spiritual,  and  to  a  work  so  great,  he  should 
bring  grace  so  shallow,  and  attainments  so  limited. 
Yet  God  has  placed  him  in  the  office  ;  and  although 
tempted  at  times  to  relinquish  his  high  trust,  yet  he 
is  as  often  deterred  by  the  solemn  voice  of  con- 
science, "Woe  is  unto  me,  if  I  preach  not  the 
gospel  !'*  But  we  would  be  far  from  conveying  a 
gloomy  representation  of  the  office  and  functions  of 
the  Christian  ministry.  It  is  true,  many,  influenced 
by  sordid  and  unworthy  motives,  seek  admittance 
to  the  holy  office ;  and  that  these  should  find  its 
sacred  labours  distasteful  and  wearisome,  is  no 
marvel.  But  there  are  others  who  can  humbly 
adopt  the  language  of  their  Master,  "My  meat  and 
my  drink  are  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me, 
and  to  finish  his  work,"  They  delight  in  their 
3 


26         THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER. 

employment ;  they  find  their  rest  in  their  toil ;  and 
they  often  reap  their  highest  joy  from  that  which  is 
the  cause  of  their  deepest  sorrow.  To  proclaim 
that  gospel  which  has  often  charmed  his  own  soul — to 
preach  that  Jesus,  at  times  so  ]3recious  to  his  own 
heart  —  to  comfort  others  with  the  comforts  with 
which  he  himself  has  been  comforted  by  God  —  to 
w^ipe  a  solitary  tear  from  the  eye — to  chase  a  single 
grief  from  the  heart  —  to  smooth  a  dying  pillow — 
to  save  a  soul  from  death — to  guide  a  saint  to  glory 
— 0  to  him  it  were  worth  a  million  lives,  were  they 
even  lives  of  tenfold  toil  and  trial !  With  all  its 
solemn  responsibilities,  its  wearisome  labours,  its 
painful  anxieties,  its  lonely  sorrows,  who  would  not 
be  a  gospel  charmer  ?  Who  would  not,  like  Jesus, 
be  anointed  to  preach  good  tidings  unto  the  meek 
— to  bind  up  the  broken  hearted — to  proclaim  liberty 
to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison  to 
them  that  are  bound?"  With  such  a  commission, 
and  beneath  such  anointing,  is  it  any  marvel  that 
such  a  minister  should,  like  the  apostle,  look  down 
from  his  lofty  eminence  with  contempt  upon  the 
wisdom  of  man  and  the  learning  of  the  schools,  the 
moment  they  clashed  with  the  wisdom  of  God  and 
the  glory  of  the  cross — that  he  should  go  forth,  and 
to  the  lettered  and  the  ignorant,  to  the  polished  and 
the  rude,  make  known  nothing  but  Christ  crucified? 
These,  then,  are  the  "  charmers."  And  of  them  the 
sweet  poet  sings, — 


THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER         27 

*'  How  beauteous  are  their  feet 

Who  stand  on  Zion's  hill ! 
"Who  bring  salvation  on  their  tongues, 

And  words  of  peace  reveal ! 
How  charming  is  their  voice ! 

How  sweet  the  tidings  are  ! 
Zion,  behold  thy  Saviour  King ! 

He  reigns  and  triumphs  here." 

But  what  is  it  to  "  charm  wisely  ?"  True  wisdom 
has  been  defined  that  power  which  accomphshes 
the  greatest  results  by  the  simplest  means.  Then, 
here  is  wisdom !  To  save  souls  from  eternal  death, 
by  the  "  foolishness  of  preaching,"  must  be  regarded 
as  the  highest  point  to  which  wisdom  can  soar.  It 
is  recorded  concerning  the  apostles,  that  they  "  so 
spake,  that  a  great  multitude,  both  of  the  Jews,  and 
also  of  the  Greeks,  believed."  They  presented 
Christ  so  prominently  —  they  divided  truth  so 
skilfully  —  and  they  preached  with  such  power, 
point,  and  simplicity,  that  "  multitudes  were  added 
to  the  Lord."  See  with  what  contempt  they  looked 
down  upon  the  unsanctified  wisdom  and  lore  of  this 
world !  Addressing  the  Corinthians,  their  great 
leader  could  say,  "My  speech  and  my  preaching 
were  not  with  enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom,  but 
in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of  power."  Ho 
"charmed  wisely;"  and  by  the  influence  of  his 
preaching,  pagan  altars  were  destroyed,  senseless 
idols  were  abandoned,  the  Pantheon  and  the  Lj^ceum 
were  forsaken,  and  "  a  great  company  of  the  priests 
were  obedient  to  the  faith;"  but  it  was  not  with 


28         THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER. 

the  "  wisdom  of  this  world,"  in  order  that  their 
"  faith  should  not  stand  in  the  wisdom  of  man,  but 
in  the  power  of  God." 

And  why  may  not  the  same  results  in  the 
employment  of  the  same  means  be  ours?  Preach 
we  not  the  same  gospel  ?  Deal  we  not  with  the 
same  intelligent  and  deathless  mind  ?  Draw  we  not 
our  motives  and  our  appeals  from  the  same 
eternity?  True,  we  possess  neither  the  spirit  of 
prophecy  nor  the  gift  of  miracles.  We  need  them 
not.  Kor  did  the  apostles  in  their  grand  work  of 
converting  men  to  God.  They  never  in  a  single 
instance  quickened  a  soul  by  the  power  of  a  miracle. 
The  extraordinary  gifts  with  which  they  were 
endowed  were  bestowed  for  another  and  a  different 
purpose.  The  cases  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Fore- 
runner are  strikingly  in  point.  The  ministry  of 
Jesus,  although  attended  by  a  succession  of 
miracles  the  most  brilliant  and  convincing,  resulted 
in  fewer  conversions  than  the  ministry  of  John,  who 
did  no  miracle.  To  what  divine  agency,  then,  did 
the  apostles  themselves  trace  the  extraordinary 
result  of  their  preaching?  To  what,  but  the 
"demonstration  of  the  Spirit?"  0  for  tongues  of 
fire  to  proclaim  the  glad  tidings  of  the  gospel ! 
"With  such  a  Saviour  to  make  known  —  with  such 
revelations  to  disclose — with  such  souls  to  save — 
with  such  results  to  expect — is  it  not  marvellous 
that  we  should  speak  with  any  other  ?  To  charm 
wisely,  then,  is  so  rightly  to  divide  God's  word,  as 
not  to  confound  truth  with  error — so  discrimina- 


THE   VOICE   OF   THE   CHARMER.  29 

tinglj  to  preach  it,  as  to  separate  the  precious  from 
the  vile — and  so  distinctly  and  prominently  to  hold 
up  the  cross  of  Christ,  as  to  save  immortal  souls. 
The  cross,  the  cross  must  be  the  central  object  ex- 
hibited in  our  ministry,  to  which  every  eye  must  be 
directed,  and  before  which  all  the  glory  of  man 
must  fade.  The  Holy  Spirit,  too,  must  be  more 
honoured  —  his  anointing  more  especially  sought — 
and  his  influence  more  earnestly  insisted  upon. 
Apart  from  this,  no  ministry,  be  its  character  in 
other  respects  what  it  may,  has  any  real  power. 
How  poor  a  thing  it  is,  distinguished  only  by  its 
learning,  its  genius,  and  its  eloquence,  and  destitute 
of  the  vital  warmth,  and  impassioned  earnestness, 
and  soul-subduing,  and  heart-awakening  energy  of 
the  Holy  Spirit !  Weighed  in  the  balance  of  the 
sanctuary,  it  is  as  light  as  air;  estimated  in  view  of 
the  judgment,  it  is  an  awful  mockery. 

But  a  most  solemn  part  of  this  subject  remains 
to  be  considered.  We  allude  to  the  reception  which 
this  heaven-sent  message  of  reconciliation  meets 
from  multitudes  on  whose  external  ear  only  its 
accents  of  melody  fall.  The  charge  which  God 
brings  against  such  resolves  itself  into  the  indict- 
ment of  a  wilful  neglect  and  rejection  of  this 
immense  privilege.  "  Who  will  not  hearken  to  the 
voice  of  charmers,  charming  never  so  wisely." 
The  character  here  alluded  to  has  its  classifications, 
to  which,  lest  any  should  be  self-deceived  in  so  m.o- 
mentous  a  matter,  we  will  briefly  advert. 

There  are,  in  the  first  place,  those  who  may  be 
3* 


30  THE   VOICE   OF   THE   CHARMER. 

said  to  receive,  and  yet  who  do  actually  reject  the 
gospel  of  Jesus.  Supposing  ourselves  addressing 
such,  we  would  present  a  line  of  argument  some- 
W'hat  like  this : — ^You  are  not,  in  the  sceptical  sense 
of  the  term,  an  unbeliever.  In  other  words,  you 
shudder  at  the  idea,  and  would  resent  the  suspicion 
of  being  an  infidel.  You  believe  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures to  be  a  divine  record,  Christ  "  a  teacher  come 
from  God,"  and  the  Christianity  which  he  taught  a 
heaven-authenticated  record  of  the  doctrines  to  be 
believed  and  the  precepts  to  be  followed,  essential  to 
that  "holiness  without  which  no  one  can  seethe 
Lord."  And  yet,  strange  to  say,  notwithstanding 
all  this,  you  are  an  unbeliever.  Your  unbelief  is  of  a 
most  alarming  and  fatal  character ;  more  ensnaring 
than  that  which  saps  the  foundation  of  Christ- 
ianity ;  because,  while  it  professes  to  credit  its  truth, 
it  practically  makes  it  a  lie,  and  thus  fosters  one  of 
the  most  fatal  delusions  that  ever  perilled  the 
immortal  soul.  Do  you  live  as  if  you  believed  the 
gospel  to  be  true  ?  What  moral  influence  does  your 
professed  belief  exert  over  you  ?  What  shape  and 
colouring  does  it  impart  to  your  habits  of  reflection 
and  of  feeling?  You  afiirm  that  you  believe  in  the 
gospel;  but  upon  what  part  of  your  conduct  is  the 
influence  of  that  belief  felt  and  seen  ?  You  declare 
that  you  have  faith ;  but  where  are  its  fruits  ? 
Alas!  the  moon-beams  fall  not  more  coldly  and 
powerlessly  upon  the  sterile  earth,  than  docs  the 
light  which  your  intellectual  faith  sheds  upon  your 
whole  path  to  eternity.     You  live  as  if  there  were 


THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER.         31 

no  God — no  Saviour — no  heaven — no  hell — no  death 
— no  judgment — no  eternity.  Immersed  in  business 
or  intent  upon  wealth,  panting  for  fame  or  eager  in 
chase  of  pleasure,  the  dread  future,  whose  bleak, 
rock-bound  coast  you  are  each  moment  nearing,  is 
all,  all,  forgotten.  You  consider  yourself  as  a 
rational,  reasonable,  and  sane  being.  But  is  it 
rational,  reasonable,  or  sane,  to  merge  the  momen- 
tous interests  of  an  ever-enduring  future  in  the 
fleeting  .shadows  of  a  present  moment  ?  What  a 
mere  fragment  of  your  being  is  your  life  !  Com- 
pared with  the  future,  it  is  as  the  particle  of  sand 
which  the  wind  lifts  and  wafts  from  the  shore,  or 
like  a  drop  of  the  spray  which  it  scatters  from  the 
ocean's  wave.  And  yet  see  how  you  live !  And 
oh,  how  imperfectly  you  measure  the  great  work  to 
be  done  with  the  brief  moment  allotted  to  its 
accomplishment !  You  vainly  imagine  that  it  can 
all  be  crowded  into  and  accomplished  within  the 
space  of  a  dying  hour, —  that  a  business  the  most 
momentous  that  ever  engaged  the  thought  or 
enlisted  the  feelings  of  man,  may  be  safel}^  deferred 
until  the  period  when  the  wasting  of  sickness,  and 
the  fever  of  delirium,  the  madness  of  convulsions, 
the  writhings  of  pain,  and  the  throbs  and  throes  of 
dissolving  nature,  shall  task  to  the  utmost  all  the 
powers  of  the  mind — oh,  what  sheer  madness  is 
this  !  See,  then,  to  what  your  professed  faith  in  the 
gospel  of  Christ  brings  you !  The  devils  believe, 
and  tremble  at  what  they  believe.  You  believe, 
and  yet  tremble  not.     Oh  !  what  a  lie  does  your 


32  THE   VOICE   OF   THE   CHARMER. 

whole  life  give  to  your  faith  !  The  decided  irre- 
ligiou,  worldliness,  and  thoughtlessness,  which  make 
Tip  its  history,  prove  your  faith  in  the  gospel  to  be  a 
most  woful  deception.  It  may  be  a  sound  faith,  as 
far  as  reason  and  philosophy  go  ;  but  a  mere  assent 
of  the  understanding  to  the  truth  is  not  the  faith 
which  the  truth  itself  requires. 

There  are  others,  w^ho  profess  no  belief  whatever 
in  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Theirs  is  an  entire,  open, 
"undisguised  rejection  of  this  divine  system  of 
truth.  The  atheist  rejects  it,  in  his  avowed  disbe- 
lief of  God's  being — the  infidel,  when  he  pronoun- 
ces the  Bible  a  fiction,  and  Christianity  a  lie — the 
Jew,  when  he  exclaims,  ^*not  Jesus,  but  Barabbas" 
— the  Socinian,  in  his  denial  of  the  Deity  of  the  Son 
of  God  —  the  neologist  and  the  transcendentalist, 
when  they  betray  the  Saviour  with  a  kiss  : — But  the 
class  is  a  large  one.  It  embraces  in  its  melancholy 
catalogue  the  careless,  the  indifierent,  the  scorner, 
the  scoffer,  the  worldling,  the  impenitent,  the  moral- 
ist, the  pharisee,  —  in  a  word,  all  —  be  they  the 
learned,  the  philosophical,  the  intellectual,  the 
refined,  or  the  religious,  according  to  the  world's 
notion  —  all  who  are  not  born  again  of  the  Spirit, 
and  who  are  not  exemplifying  the  power  of  the  truth 
w^hich  is  according  to  godliness. 

But  there  is  a  feature  in  this  sin  which  imparts  to 
it  a  still  darker  and  more  fearful  complexion.  We 
allude  to  its  wilfulness.  There  is  in  it  the  exhibi- 
tion of  a  will  not  only  totally  unrenewed  and  un- 


THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHARMER.         33 

holy,  but  assuming  an  attitude  of  positive  and 
determined  hostility  to  this  wondrous  message  of 
God's  grace.  Ponder  the  terms  of  this  indictment: 
— "  They  are  like  the  deaf  adder,  that  stoppeth  its 
ear ;  which  will  not  hearken  to  the  voice  of  charm- 
ers,  charming  never  so  wisely."  With  this  corre- 
sponds our  Lord's  description  of  the  same  character, 
— "This  people's  heart  is  waxed  gross,  and  their 
ears  are  dull  of  hearing,  and  their  eyes  have  they 
closed  ;  least  at  any  time  they  should  see  with  their 
eyes,  and  hear  with  their  ears,  and  should  under- 
stand with  their  heart,  and  should  be  converted, 
and  I  should  heal  them,"  Matt.  xiii.  15.  O  it  is 
this  ivilful  rejection  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  which 
more  than  all  demonstrates  your  deep  degeneracy, 
and  constitutes  the  most  alarming  feature  of  your 
sin. 

We  can  but  briefly,  in  conclusion,  advert  to  the 
appalling  consequences  of  this  wilful  shutting  of  the 
ear  against  the  sound  of  the  gospel.  They  are 
most  effectively  told,  in  the  w^ords  of  God  himself. 
Thus  he  describes  the  sin  and  its  punishment: — 
"But  they  refused  to  hearken,  and  pulled  away  the 
shoulder,  and  stopped  their  ears,  that  they  might 
not  hear.  Yea,  they  made  their  hearts  as  an 
adamant  stone,  lest  they  should  hear  the  law,  and 
the  w^ords  which  the  Lord  of  hosts  hath  sent  in  his 
Spirit  by  the  former  prophets  ;  therefore  came  there 
great  wrath  from  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Therefore  it 
is  come  to  pass,  that  as  he  cried,  and  they  would 


34  THE   VOICE   OF   THE   ClIAEMER. 

not  hear ;  so  they  cried,  and  I  would  not  hear,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts."  Zech.  vii.  11—13.  0  ponder,  I 
beseech  you,  reader,  these  awful  words,  and  no 
longer  "pull  away  your  shoulder"  from  Christ's 
yoke,  nor  "stop  your  ears"  against  his  voice.  In 
the  New  Testament,  the  record  of  mercy  and  of 
love,  it  is  fearfully  written,  "  The  Lord  Jesus  will 
be  revealed  from  heaven  with  his  mighty  angels,  in 
flaming  fire,  taking  vengeance  on  them  that  know 
not  God,  and  that  obey  not  the  gospel  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  who  shall  be  punished  with  ever- 
lasting destruction  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord, 
and  from  the  glory  of  his  .power."  2  Thess.  i.  7 — 9. 
Are  you  prepared  for  this  ? 

But  not  with  a  note  of  terror  would  we  close  this 
chapter.  The  last  vibration  that  lingers  on  your 
ear  shall  be  the  "  voice  of  the  charmer."  How  rich 
the  melody ! 

"  In  strains  as  sweet  as  angels  use, 
The  gospel  whispers  peace." 

And  sweeter  too, — "  Ho  !  every  one  that  thirsteth, 
come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that  hath  no  money, 
come  ye,  buy  and  eat :  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and 
milk  without  money  and  without  price."  O  let 
your  ear  drink  in  this  heavenly  sound  !  It  is  God 
himself  who  speaks.  Every,,  word  is  from  his 
heart.  "  Look  unto  me,  all  ye  ends  of  the  earth, 
and  be  ye  saved,  for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none 
else."     Look  unto  Jesus,  and  not  to  yourselves. 


THE  VOICE  OF  THE  CHAEMER.         35 

You  stagger  at  your  great  unworthiness.  What 
were  this  but  to  suppose  that  you  would  never  bo 
otherwise  ?  lS[o  !  Your  worthiness  is  in  Christ — 
your  merit  is  in  Christ  —  your  righteousness  is  in 
Christ — your  beauty  is  in  Christ — your  salvation  is 
in  Christ — all,  all  is  in  Jesus  Christ.  Out  of  him 
you  are  lost,  and  lost  for  ever.  Through  him,  though 
you  were  the  vilest  sinner  whom  the  Spirit  of  God 
ever  drew  to  the  feet  of  Jesus,  you  may  be  saved, 
saved  for  ever. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ALONE  WITH  JESUS. 

"And  Jesus  was  left  alone,  and  the  woman  standing  in  the  midst. 
When  Jesus  had  lifted  up  himself,  and  saw  none  but  the  woman, 
he  said  unto  her,  Woman,  where  are  those  thine  accusers  ?  Hath 
no  man  condemned  thee  ?  She  said.  No  man.  Lord.  And  Jesus  said 
unto  her.  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee  ;  go,  and  sin  no  more." — John 
viii.  9-11. 

Well  did  the  trembling  king  of  Israel  exclaim, 
when  with  an  air  of  tender  faithfulness  the  prophet 
placed  before  him  the  choice  of  those  evils  which 
should  mark  his  sin — "Let  me  fall  into  the  hand  of 
the  Lord,  for  very  great  are  his  mercies,  but  let  me 
not  fall  into  the  hand  of  man."  Every  point  of 
light  in  which  his  decision  can  be  viewed,  justifies 
both  its  wisdom  and  its  holiness.  It  was  wise  :  he 
knew  that  the  Lord  was  his  God :  as  such,  he  had 
long  been  wont  to  deal  with  him  in  transactions 
the  most  solemn  and  confiding,  and  thus,  from 
knowledge  and  experience,  he  felt  he  could  now 
safely  trust  in  him.  It  was  lioly :  he  saw  that  God 
was  most  righteous  in  punishing  his  sin,  and  that 
in  meekly  submitting  to  that  punishment  which 
came  more  immediately  from  the  Lord,  he  was 
sympathizing  with  the  equity  of  the  Divine 
Government,  and  was  upholding  the  character  of 
the  "Judge  of  all  the  earth"  as  "most  upright." 

(3C) 


ALONE    WITH    JESUS.  37 

Guided  by  these  considerations,  he  would  rather 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Lord,  uplifted  though 
they  were  to  scourge.  "Who  has  not  made  this 
prayer  his  own,  and  breathed  it  at  the  footstool  of 
mercy?  The  "tender  mercies  of  the  wicked  are 
cruelty,"  but  the  severest  corrections  of  our  Father 
are  love.  To  be  smitten  by  God  is  infinitely  better 
to  the  believer  than  to  be  blest  by  man.  The 
creature's  aftection  often  brins-swith  it  a  snare;  and 
the  honour  which  comes  from  man  tends  to  nourish 
the  corrupt  principle  of  depraved  self  But  what- 
ever, in  the  experience  of  a  child  of  God,  that  may 
be  which  comes  more  directly  from  the  Lord,  it 
brings  with  it  its  concealed  but  its  certain  and  often 
unutterable  blessing  !  0  how  safe  are  we  in  the 
Lord's  hands  !  Though  he  frown,  we  3'et  may  love. 
Though  he  scourge,  we  yet  may  cling.  Though  he 
slay,  we  yet  may  trust.  "  I  will  cause  thee  to  pass 
under  the  rod,  and  I  will  bring  you  into  the  bond 
of  the  covenant,"  "With  such  an  issue  welcome 
the  discipline  that  leads  to  it.  "  Let  me  fall  into 
the  hand  of  the  Lord,  for  very  great  are  his  mercies." 
The  touching  narrative  which  has  suggested  these 
reflections  and  the  subject  of  this  chapter,  affords 
another  example  of  the  blessedness  of  being  exclu- 
sively in  the  Lord's  hands.  Here  was  a  poor 
accused  sinner  rescued  from  the  violent  grasp  of 
men,  and  thrown  in  all  her  helplessness  upon  the 
mercy  of  Jesus.  And  while  the  Spirit  unfolds 
the  great  gospel  truths  which  it  so  impressively 
illustrates,  may  we  experience  something  of  the 
4 


88  ALONE     WITH    JESUS. 

blessedness  and  sweetness  of  spending  an  hour  alone 
with  Jesus  ! 

The  character  of  the  scene  which  it  portrays  is 
judicial, — the  grouping  natural,  the  objects  inter- 
esting, the  whole  instructive.  With  regard  to  the 
first  object  which  arrests  our  attention  —  the 
prisoner  at  the  bar  —  we  can  scarcely  imagine  a 
case  more  calculated  than  this  to  awaken  the 
tenderest  S3^mpathies  of  Jesus.  The  accused,  now 
pale  and  agitated,  weak  and  trembling,  was  a 
woman.  A  wreck  of  her  former  self  though  she 
was,  there  still  was  an  air  of  touching  tenderness, 
if  not  of  faded  beauty  and  grandeur,  still  lingering 
amidst  the  ruin.  This  would  not  escape  the 
searching  and  discriminating  glance  of  the  Saviour. 
She  was  a  woman,  and  the  acute  sensibilities  of  her 
sex  were  hers.  These  had  indeed  received  a  fearful 
shock.  It  may  be  in  the  power  of  sin  and  crime 
deeply  to  obscure  and  greatly  to  blunt  the  fine  and 
delicate  instincts  of  our  nature,  but  never  totally  to 
extinguish  them.  They  will  outlive  the  storm  that 
may  have  scattered  the  verdure  and  dissipated  the 
blossom  of  many  an  opening  character.  The 
external  loveliness  of  that  character  may  for  a 
while  be  shaded,  but  there  is  a  deathless  beauty 
within  —  feelings,  thoughts,  purposes,  and  resolves, 
which  die  only  with  the  dying  breath.  There  is  a 
class  of  feelings — certain  sympathies  and  aflinities — 
which  would  seem  to  be  from  their  very  nature 
imperishable.  God  has  so  ordered  it.  A  mother, 
for  example,  can  never  forget  that  she  is  a  mother. 


ALONE   WITH   JESUS.  39 

The  hidden  fountain  of  feeling,  unsealed  in  her 
heart,  is  ever  springing  up,  pure  and  sparkling.  She 
may  wander  from  her  home  as  a  bird  from  its  rest- 
ing-place, but  she  will  return  and  hover  around  her 
little  ones ;  or  she  will  clasp  to  her  bosom  with  a 
firmness  which  the  wrench  of  death  only  can  relax, 
the  infant  that  shares  her  wanderings  and  her 
guilt.  And  a  woman  is  a  woman  still.  Sin  and 
sorrow  may  have  beclouded  the  sun-light,  and 
marred  the  joyousness  of  her  spirit;  but  there  are 
under-currents  of  affection  and  feeling  which  the 
tempest  that  swept  the  surface  has  left  untouched. 
That  keen  sensibility — that  gentleness — that  tender- 
ness— that  instinctive  delicacy  and  that  keen  sense 
of  honour — the  peculiar  traits  of  her  sex — are  still 
there.  The  delicate  stem  from  which  has  fallen  the 
beautiful  flower,  may  bend  before  the  blast;  but 
tenderly  raise,  and  kindly  nourish  it,  it  will  live 
again,  and  bud  and  blossom  as  before.  It  may  be 
a  truant  plant,  still  a  plant  of  Eden,  whose  tint  and 
fragrance  may  yet  brighten  and  make  glad  the 
garden  of  the  heart.  "We  should  remember  this  in 
our  walks  and  labours  of  benevolence.  Brought, 
as  we  sometimes  are,  into  contact  with  extreme 
cases  of  guilt  and  crimes,  we  should  not  overlook 
the  material  we  yet  possess  with  which  to  repair  the 
fallen  structure.  No  heart  should  be  considered 
too  polluted — no  mind  too  dark — no  character  too 
debased — for  the  power  of  God,  working  by  human 
instrumentality,  to  restore.  The  surface  may  pre- 
sent to  the  eye  the  iron  features  of  a  hardened  and 


40  ALONE   WITH   JESUS. 

reckless  character;  nevertheless,  there  are  springs  of 
thought  and  feeling  and  memory  beneath  that 
repulsive  surface,  v^^hich,  if  touched  by  a  skilful  and 
a  delicate  hand,  will  unlock  the  door  of  the  heart, 
and  admit  you  within  its  most  sacred  recesses. 
Thus  with  gentleness  and  kindness  you  may  soften 
the  most  hardened,  disarm  the  most  ferocious,  calm 
the  most  violent,  and  attain  complete  possession  of 
a  mind  that  has  long  resisted  and  repelled  every 
other  subduing  influence.  The  law  of  love  is  the 
law  of  God's  moral  government  of  his  people.  By 
this,  and  by  this  alone,  he  rules  them.  All  that  is 
disciplinary  in  his  conduct  is  resolvable  into  love. 
It  is  by  kindness,  "  ?o?;zw^-kindness,"  yea  ''•marvel- 
lous loving-kindness !"  that  he  wins  back  their 
truant  hearts,  and  binds  them  closer  to  himself. 
*'I  am  the  Lord  who  exercise  loving-kindness." 
"  With  loving-kindness  have  I  drawn  thee."  0  to 
imitate  him  in  this  particular !  —  to  be  like  God  in 
his  kindness  to  the  children  of  men.  Then  would 
there  be  less  sitting  in  the  judgment-seat — less  readi- 
ness to  cast  the  first  stone  —  less  harshness  and 
censoriousness  in  our  conduct  and  spirit  towards 
others  ;  and  more  of  that  self-judging,  self-condemn- 
ing, and  self-abasement,  before  the  holy,  heart-search- 
ing, all-seeing  Lord  God,  without  which  we  may  be 
awfully  self-deceived. 

But  what  an  object  was  here,  befitting  the 
Saviour's  sympathy  and  power !  Think  you, 
reader,  that  from  it  his  pure  and  gentle  spirit 
shrunk  ?    "Would  he  feel  terrified  or  polluted  by  so 


ALONE  WITH  JESUS.  41 

close  a  proximity  to  an  object  of  guilt  and  wretch- 
edness ?  Ah,  no  !  '  Come,  ye  vaunting  philanthro- 
pists of  poetry  and  romance,  who  dissolve  over  a 
fiction,  and  petrify  at  a  reality — come,  ye  who  have 
your  tears  for  imaginary  woe,  and  recoil  from  con- 
tact with  true  misery  —  who  deem  it  pollution  to 
take  kindly  the  hand  of  a  poor  wanderer,  exclaim- 
ing, ''  Stand  by,  for  I  am  holier  than  thou  !"  Come 
ye,  and  learn  what  true  philanthropy  and  sensi- 
bility mean.  Our  Lord's  was  no  mawkish,  senti- 
mental humanity,  standing  aloof  from  the  fallen  and 
the  despised,  and  attracting  to  itself  only  the 
virtuous  and  the  worthy.  It  was  a  humanity  that 
identified  itself  with  our  fall,  and  with  all  its 
consequent  miseries.  Itself  pure,  it  yet  took  our 
sins ;  itself  happy,  it  yet  took  our  sicknesses  and 
our  sorrows.  He  came  as  the  Saviour,  and  sinners 
were  the  objects  of  his  love  and  compassion.  He 
was  a  man,  and  to  nothing  that  was  human,  but 
its  essential  taint,  was  he  a  stranger.  He  even 
carried  our  sins,  as  a  crushing  weight,  upon  that  sin- 
less frame ;  and  that  heart,  to  which  sorrow  was 
unknown,  became  "acquainted  with  grief."  0  it 
is  wondrous  to  see  how  closely  the  Son  of  God 
linked  himself  with  fallen,  suftering  man  !  Touch 
what  cord  you  may  of  the  human  heart,  and  there 
comes  up  from  the  depths  of  his  an  instantaneous 
and  harmonious  response.  With  what  efiect  would 
some  of  these  hidden  springs  of  feeling  in  the 
human  soul  of  Jesus  now  be  touched  !  He  would 
remember,  as  his  eye  fell  upon  this  trembling  object 
4^ 


42  ALONE    WITH    JESUS. 

of  liis  sympathy,  that  he  himself  was  born  of  a 
woman,  amidst  her  perils  and  her  pangs.  He 
would  remember,  too,  that  there  still  was  one  who 
bore  to  him  the  endearing  appellation  of  mother, 
and  that  yet  others  stood  to  him  in  the  fond  rela- 
tion of  sisters,  and  all  that  was  tender  in  his  heart 
would  be  moved.  Looking  at  her  humiliation,  and 
thinking  of  his  own,  piti/  would  melt  his  heart; 
and  while  listening  to  the  voice  of  her  clamourous 
accusers,  with  the  garden  of  Gethsemane  and  Calvary 
full  in  view,  her  sin  would  stir  to  its  centre  the  deep 
fountain  of  his  mercy.  Then,  O  then,  if  ever,  did 
he  appear  the  *' brother  born  for  adversity."  Then 
was  fulfilled  the  Messianic  prediction  in  the  Psalms, 
"  He  shall  deliver  the  needy  when  he  crieth ;  the 
poor  also,  and  him  that  hath  no  helper ;  for  he 
shall  stand  at  the  right  hand  of  the  poor,  to  save 
him  from  them  that  condemn  his  soul." 

But  dismissing  for  a  moment  the  narrative  itself, 
let  us  turn  our  attention  to  the  gospel  instruction 
which  it  unfolds.  The  truths  which  it  illustrates 
are  of  the  deepest  moment.  It  brings  vividly 
before  the  mind  the  case  of  a  soul  under  the  con- 
viction and  condemnation  of  the  law,  standing  in 
the  presence  of  Jesus,  awaiting  his  solemn  decision. 
We  are  now  approaching  that  period  of  a  man's 
life,  upon  which  depend  the  complexion  of  his 
future  history  here,  and  the  character  of  his  destiny 
hereafter.  Conversion,  without  which  the  present 
life  is  a  perfect  blank,  and  the  future  is  "written  in 
mourning,  lamentation,  and  woe,"  is  that  event  in 


ALONE    WITH    JESUS.  43 

individual  history  which  creates  all  things  new. 
The  step  which  we  are  now  describing,  is  the  first, 
in  the  great  matter  of  conversion.  The  Holy  Spirit 
asserts  this  when,  by  the  apostle,  he  describes  the 
law  as  our  schoolmaster,  to  bring  us  unto  Christ. 
And  in  the  school  of  the  law,  the  first  and  the  grand 
lesson  which  the  sinner  learns  is  his  sin,  his  curse 
and  his  condemnation.  There  he  is  convinced  of 
his  vileness,  convicted  of  his  guilt,  and  learns  his 
poverty,  helplessness,  and  hell-deserving.  All  the 
fond  conceit  of  his  own  worthiness,  strength,  and 
fitness,  vanishes  as  a  vapour,  and  he  sees  himself  in 
the  power,  under  the  curse,  and  exposed  to  the  tre- 
mendous condemnation  of  Godls  righteous,  broken, 
avenging  law.  Thus  convicted  in  the  very  act  of 
his  rebellion  against  God,  he  is  brought,  like  a  felon, 
into  the  presence  of  Jesus.  There  he  stands,  pale 
and  trembhng,  his  witnesses  many  and  loud,  while 
his  own  awakened  conscience  pleads  guilty  to  the 
charge. 

Art  thou  that  soul,  dear  reader?  Has  the  law 
arrested  and  brought  thee  within  Christ's  court? 
O  thou  never  wast  in  such  a  position  before — so 
new,  so  strange,  so  blessed !  It  may  be,  you  never 
felt  yourself  so  near  hell  as  now,  under  the  sentence 
of  God's  law ;  but  you  never  were  so  near  heaven 
as  now,  in  the  presence  of  Jesus.  You  are  now  in 
that  court  where  justice  to  the  fullest  is  honoured, 
and  where  mercy  to  its  utmost  is  extended.  You 
are  in  Christ's  court,  at  Christ's  bar,— awaiting  the 
sentence  of  him  who  was  made  under  that  law, 


44  ALONE    WITH    JESUS. 

fulfilled  its  precepts,  and  endured  its  penalty  to  the 
uttermost.  You  are  in  the  presence  of  him  who 
came  to  deliver  sinners  from  its  curse  and  woe,  and 
to  raise  them  far  above  the  reach  of  all  condemnation. 
IS'ever  were  you  so  sensible  of  your  guilt  and  ruin 
as  now,  yet  never  were  you  so  near  the  fountain 
that  cleanseth  from  all  sin,  nor  so  close  to  him  who 
was  pierced  to  shelter  the  vilest  of  the  vile.  Thy 
Judge  is  thy  Saviour.  He  who  sits  upon  that 
throne  is  he  who  hung  upon  the  cross.  You  are 
arraigned  in  the  presence,  and  are  thrown  upon  the 
mercy  of  him,  the  delight  of  whose  heart,  and  the 
glory  of  whose  character,  it  is  to  save  sinners ; 
whose  love  for  them  induced  him  to  screen  liis 
glory,  and  to  appear  in  humiliation  —  to  suffer, 
bleed,  and  die.  You  are  in  the  presence  of  him 
who,  though  he  hath  ascended  on  high,  and  is  now 
glorified  with  the  glory  "  he  had  with  the  Father 
before  the  world  was,"  is  yet  engaged  in  securing 
the  precious  fruits  of  his  soul's  travail. 

"  His  glory  now,  nor  tongue  of  man, 
Nor  seraph  bright  can  tell ; 
Yet  still  the  chief  of  all  his  joys, 
That  souls  are  saved  from  hell. 

"  For  this  he  came  and  dwelt  on  earth  ; 
For  this  his  life  was  given  ; 
For  this  he  fought  and  vanquished  death  ; 
For  this  he  pleads  in  heaven.'' 

Look  up,  poor  soul !  for  "  your  redemption  draw- 


ALONE    WITH    JESTJS.  45 

eth  nigh."  Never  yet  did  he  allow  a  sin-accused, 
self-condemned  sinner  to  go  out  of  this  court  un- 
blessed, unsaved. 

We  return  again  to  the  narrative;  and  the  second 
thing  which  arrests  our  attention,  is  the  conduct  of 
Jesus  totvards  this  poor  tvoman.  Thus  does  the 
narrator  describe  their  relative  position,  as  each 
silenced  and  conscience-stricken  accuser  retires  from 
the  scene.  "And  Jesus  was  left  alone,  and  the 
woman,  standing  in  the  midst,"  Enviable  position ! 
The  prisoner  and  the  Judge  alone !  The  sinner  and 
the  Saviour  alone  !  Her  accusers  were  silenced  ; 
her  enemies  had  retired ;  and,  surrounded  by  the 
stillness  and  the  solemnity  of  the  place,  stood  the 
woman  alone  with  Jesus.  Upon  this  interesting 
and  instructive  topic,  let  us  pour  out  the  fulness  of 
our  soul. 

Can  we  imagine  a  position  on  this  side  heaven 
more  replete  with  the  bliss  of  heaven  than  this  ? 
What  a  privilege  is  nearness  to  Christ !  Yet  dear 
and  precious  as  it  is,  how  sadly  is  it  overlooked ! 
We  may  trace  this  in  some  degree  to  the  believer's 
oversight  of  his  oneness  with  Christ.  Yet  to  forget 
this  truth,  is  to  forget  that  he  lives.  As  the  branch 
has  one  life  with  the  vine,  the  graft  one  life  with  the 
tree,  so  he  that  is  united  to  Christ,  and  grafted  into 
Christ,  has  one  life  with  Christ.  Go  where  he  may, 
he  is  one  with  Christ.  Be  his  circumstances  what 
they  may,  he  is  one  with  Christ.  And  as  he  is  in 
Christ,  so  Christ  is  in  him.  And  if  Christ  be  in  him, 
dwelling  in  him,  living  in  him,  walking  in  him,  so 


46  ALONE  WITH  JESUS. 

also  is  Christ  in  every  event,  and  incident,  and  cir- 
cumstance of  bis  history.  He  cannot  look  upon  the 
darkest  cloud  that  overhangs  his  path,  but  be  may 
exclaim,  "  Christ  is  in  my  cloud ;  Christ  is  in  my 
sorrow ;  Christ  is  in  my  conflict ;  Christ  is  in  my 
need ;  Christ  is  all  to  me,  and  Christ  is  in  all  with 
me."  We  will  specify  a  few  occasions  in  which 
this  blessed  state  is  more  especially  realized  by  the 
believer. 

In  seasons  of  accusation,  how  precious  the  privi- 
lege and  the  feeling  of  being  alone  with  Jesus ! 
Satan,  we  know,  is  the  great  accuser  of  the  saints. 
And  yet  how  insensible  are  we  of  the  great  power 
which  he  still  exerts  over  the  people  rescued  for  ever 
from  his  grasp  !  It  was  Satan  who  stood  up  to  per- 
suade David  to  number  Israel.  It  was  Satan  who 
would  have  prompted  God  to  slay  Job ;  and  it  was 
Satan  who  stood  at  the  right  hand  of  Joshua,  to 
condemn  his  soul.  Thus  is  he  ever  ready  to  assert 
his  charge  against  the  people  of  God.  N'ot  less 
malignant  is  the  world.  Infidel  in  its  principles,  God- 
hating  in  its  spirit,  and  Christ-rejecting  in  its  whole 
conduct,  it  is  no  marvel  that  it  should  be  the  antago- 
nist and  the  accuser  of  the  saints.  Sitting  in  judg- 
ment upon  actions,  the  nature  of  which  it  cannot 
understand — interpreting  motives,  the  character  of 
which  it  cannot  decide — ingeniously  contriving,  and 
zealously  propagating,  reports  of  evil, —  and  ever 
ready  to  defame  and  to  detract — all  who  live  godlily 
in  Christ  Jesus  must  expect  no  mercy  at  its  band. 
Yes,  the  world  is  the  accuser  of  the  saints.     Nor 


ALONE    WITH   JESUS.  47 

Satan  and  the  world  only.  IIow  often,  as  the  his- 
tory of  the  holy  Job  testifies,  have  the  saints  been 
found  the  accusers  of  the  saints,  (and  with  the  deep- 
est humiliation  be  it  written,)  with  an  uncharitable- 
ness  and  censoriousness,  which  might  have  kindled 
the  world's  cheek  with  the  blush  of  shame.  Thus 
does  the  church  herself  testify,  "  My  mother's  chil- 
dren were  angry  with  me."  The  watchmen  that 
went  about  the  city  found  me;  they  smote  me, 
they  wounded  me:  the  kee^Ders  of  the  wall  took 
away  my  veil  from  me."  And  from  whom  did  our 
blessed  Lord  receive  his  deepest  wounds?  Were 
they  not  from  those  who  ranked  among  his  friends 
and  followers  ? 

But  what  so  keen  and  so  bitter  as  self-reproach  ? 
Accusations  proceeding  from  others  are  often  most 
unfounded  and  unjust.  We  have  felt  at  the  time  the 
secret  and  pleasant  consciousness  that  we  "suffer 
wrongfully."  The  shaft  flies,  but  the  Parthian  arrow 
falls  not  more  pointless  and  powerless  than  it.  But 
far  different  is  the  accusation  which  the  true  believer 
brings  against  himself.  Seeing  sin  where  others  see 
it  not — conscious  of  its  existence  and  its  perpetual 
working,  where  the  saints  applaud,  and  even  the 
world  admires,  he  laj^s  his  hand  upon  his  heart,  his 
mouth  in  the  dust,  and  exclaims,  "  I  am  vile  !  I  ab- 
hor myself!"  Ah  !  no  reproaches  like  those  which 
an  honest,  sincere  child  of  God  charges  upon  him- 
self. No  accusation  so  true,  no  reproof  so  keen,  no 
reproach  so  bitter.  Happy  are  they  who  deal  much 
in  self-condemnation  !   If  we  judged  ourselves  more, 


48  ALONE   WITH   JESUS. 

we  should  judge  others  less.  And  if  wo  condemned 
ourselves  more,  we  should  be  less  condemned.  But 
what  a  privilege  in  all  times  of  accusation,  come 
from  what  quarter  it  may,  to  he  alone  with  Jesus  ? 
"With  him,  when  we  know  the  charge  to  be  untrue, 
to  appeal  to  him  as  an  all-seeing,  heart-searching, 
and  righteous  Judge,  and  say,  "  Lord,  thou  knowest 
my  principles,  my  spirit,  my  motives,  my  aim,  and 
that  with  honest}^,  purity,  and  singleness,  I  have 
sought  to  walk  before  thee."  Oh,  it  is  a  solace,  the 
preciousness  of  which  the  throbbing  heart  may  feel, 
but  the  most  eloquent  pen  cannot  describe  !  And 
wdien  the  accusation  is  just,  and  the  believer  feels, 
"  Yile  as  I  am  in  the  eyes  of  others,  yet  more  vile 
am  I  in  my  own  eyes;"  yet  even  then  to  be  left 
alone  with  Jesus,  self-reproved,  self-condemned,  is 
to  be  thrown  upon  the  compassion  of  him,  "  very 
great  are  whose  mercies."  Alone  with  him,  not  a 
reproving  glance  darts  from  his  eye,  nor  an  upbraid- 
ing word  falls  from  his  lips.  All  is  mercy,  all  is  ten- 
derness, all  is  love.  There  before  him  the  self-con- 
demned may  stand  and  confess ;  at  his  feet  the  peni- 
tent may  fall  and  weep,  and  find,  alone  with  Jesus, 
his  arm  a  shield,  and  his  bosom  an  asylum,  within 
w^hich  his  bleeding,  panting  heart  may  find  safety  and 
repose. 

In  seasons  oi  mental  depression  and  sorroiv  of  heart, 
how  welcome  and  precious  is  this  privilege  !  The 
shadow  and  the  spring,  amidst  the  burning  desert 
are  not  more  welcome  and  refreshing  to  the  way- 
worn pilgrim.     Sorrow  is  more  or  less  the  cup  of 


ALONE    WITH    JESUS.  49 

all.  But  few  there  are  whose  lips  have  not  pressed 
its  bitter  brim!  Ah!  judge  not  of  the  heart's 
hidden  emotions,  by  the  calm  sunlight  that  plays 
upon  the  surface.  Beneath  that  expression  of  joy- 
ousness,  the  canker-worm  may  be  feeding.  At  the 
very  core  of  that  lovely  flower,  the  insect  may 
be  rioting.  The  countenance  all  radiant  with 
smiles,  and  the  spirit  all  dark  with  sadness ;  the 
tongue  discoursing  sweet  music,  and  the  heart- 
strings breaking  with  grief.  But  O  the  consola- 
tion—  who  can  describe  it?  —  of  unveiling  the 
bosom  when  alone  with  Jesus  !  There  the  artifi- 
cial vanishes,  and  the  reality  appears.  There  sor- 
row may  indulge,  and  tears  may  flow,  and  sighs 
may  heave,  and  complaints  may  breathe,  and  the 
heart  may  whisper  its  most  sacred  feelings,  because 
the  sorrowing  believer  is  alone  with  Jesus,  To  whom 
did  the  disconsolate  disciples  of  the  martyred  John 
repair  for  sympathy  and  comfort,  in  the  hour  of 
their  sudden  and  overwhelming  bereavement  ?  We 
are  told,  that  "  they  took  up  the  body  of  John,  and 
buried  it,  and  went  and  told  Jesus,''  They  poured 
their  grief  into  his  ear,  and  they  laid  their  sorrow 
on  his  heart.  And  when  the  bereaved  believer, 
whose  fond  earthly  treasure  the  grave  entombs, 
withdraws  from  the  crowd  of  human  comforters, 
and  seeks  to  indulge  his  lonely  grief,  where  does  he 
love  to  retire  ?  Not  to  the  grave ;  this  w^ere  to 
worship  the  dead:  but  to  weep  out  his  sorrow 
alone  upon  the  bosom  of  Jesus.  Ah !  ye  whom 
5 


50  ALONE     WITH    JESUS. 

death  has  bereaved !  tell  me,  is  there  anything  like 
this  so  soothing  ? 

But  perhaps  it  is  in  the  light  of  prayer  that  this 
privilege  most  beautifully  and  sweetly  appears. 
Thus  far  we  may  not  have  been  accompanied  by 
the  sympathies  of  every  reader;  but  touching  the 
subject  of  unfettered,  unreserved  communion  with 
God  in  prayer,  all  true  believers  are  one.  Disenga- 
ged from  the  world,  and  w^ithdrawn  from  the  saints 
— the  one  as  needful  for  the  cultivation  of  a  close 
walk  as  the  other;  for  there  is  much  danger  of 
substituting  the  communion  of  saints  for  commu- 
nion with  the  King  of  saints — the  believer  retires  to 
be  alone  with  Jesus.  The  occasion  is  the  most 
solemn  and  holy  of  the  Christian  life.  The  closet 
is  entered  —  the  door  is  shut — Christ  and  the 
believer  are  alone  !  Tread  softly  as  ye  pass  that 
spot,  and  put  off  thy  shoes  from  thy  feet  as  you 
pause,  for  the  Triune  God  is  there !  Who  can  tell 
the  solemn,  sacred  transaction,  now  transpiring! 
What  confession  of  sin  !  what  breathing  forth  of 
sorrow!  what  moaning  out  of  grief!  what  opening 
of  heart  to  heart,  and  what  blending  of  spirit  with 
spirit!  what  expressions  of  mutual  confidence, 
affection,  and  delight — the  believer  making  known 
the  secret  of  his  sorrow,  and  Christ  unfolding  the 
secret  of  his  love  !  From  this,  too,  its  true  source, 
the  saint  of  God  derives  his  great  power  in  prayer. 
His  amazing  and  prevailing  strength  appears  at  a 
time  of  the  most  apparent  w^eakness,  even  when 
single-handed,  and  alone  wnth  Jesus.     It  was  thus 


ALONE   WITH   JESUS.  51 

the  patriarch  wrestled  and  overcame.  "And  Jacob 
was  left  alone  ;  and  tliere  wrestled  a  man  with  him 
until  the  breaking  of  the  day.  And  when  he  saw 
that  he  prevailed  not  against  him,  he  touched  the 
hollow  of  his  thigh ;  and  the  hollow  of  Jacob's 
thigh  was  out  of  joint,  as  he  wrestled  with  him. 
And  he  said,  Let  me  go,  for  the  day  breaketh. 
And  he  said,  I  will  not  let  thee  go,  except  thou 
bless  me."  Kever  was  there  a  conflict  of  so  illus- 
trious a  nature,  and  of  so  strange  a  result,  between 
powers  so  dissimilar  and  extreme.  The  incarnate 
God,  as  if  to  demonstrate  his  own  divine  power,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  make  the  victory  of  human 
weakness  over  Infinite  Might  more  illustrious  and 
palpable,  touches  the  wrestling  patriarch,  and  he  is 
a  cripple  !  And  then  at  the  moment  of  his  greatest 
weakness,  when  taught  the  lesson  of  his  own 
insufiicienc}^,  that  iiesh  might  not  glory  in  the 
Divine  presence.  Omnipotence  retires  vanquished 
from  the  field,  and  yields  the  palm  of  victory  to 
the  disabled  but  prevailing  prince.  And  wh}^  all 
this  ?  To  teach  ns  the  amazing  power  of  prayer, 
which  the  feeblest  believer  may  have  ivhen  alone  ivitli 
Jesus. 

No  point  of  Christian  duty  and  privilege  set 
before  you  in  this  work,  will  plead  more  earnestly 
and  tenderly  for  your  solemn  consideration,  dear 
reader,  than  this.  It  enters  into  the  very  essence 
of  your  spiritual  being.  This  is  the  channel 
through  which  flows  the  oil  that  feeds  the  lamp  of 
your   Christian   profession.     Dimly  will  burn  that 


52  ALONE   WITH   JESUS. 

lamp,   and  drooping  will  be  your   spiritual    light, 
if  you  are  not  wont  to  be  much  alone  with  Jesus. 
Every  feeling  of  the  soul,  and  each  department  of 
Christian  labour,  will  be  sensibly  affected  by  this 
woful  neglect.     He  who  is  but  seldom  with  Jesus 
in  the  closet,  will  exhibit,  in  all  that  he  does  for 
Jesus  in  the  w^orld,  but  the  fitful  and  convulsive 
movements  of  a  mind  urged  on  by  a  feverish  and 
unnatural  excitement.      It  is  only  in  much  prayer 
—  that  prayer  secret  and  confiding — that  the  heart 
is  kept  in  its  right  position,  its  affections  properly 
governed,  and  its  movements  correctly  regulated. 
And  are  there  not  periods  when  you  find  it  needful 
to  leave  the  society  of  the  most  spiritual,  sweet  as 
is  the  communion  of  saints,  to  be  alone  with  Jesus? 
He  himself  has  set  you  the  example.     Accustomed 
at  times  to  withdraw  from  his  disciples,  he  has  been 
known  to  spend  whole  nights  amidst  the  mountain's 
solitude,  alone  with  his  Father.     O  the  sacredness, 
the  solemnity  of  such  a  season !     Alone  with  God! 
alone  with  Jesus !  no  eye  seeing,  no  ear  hearing, 
but  his ;   the  dearest  of  earthly  beings  excluded, 
and  no  one  present  save  Jesus  only,  the  best,  the 
dearest  of  all !     Then,  in  the  sweetest  and  most 
unreserved  confidence  the  believer  unveils  his  soul, 
and  reveals  all  to  the  Lord.     Conscience  is  read  — 
motives  are  dissected — principles  are  sifted — actions 
are  examined — the  heart  is  searched — sin  is  confes- 
sed— and  iniquity  is  acknowledged,  as  could  only 
effectually  be  done  in  the  presence  of  Jesus  alone. 
Is  there,  among  all  the  privileges  of  a  child  of  God, 


ALONE   WITH   JESUS.  53 

one  in  its  costliness  and  its  preciousness  surpassing 
this? 

Yet  another  view  of  our  Lord's  conduct  towards 
this  lone  object  of  his  mercy.  Who  was  now  her 
judge  ?  He  who  came  into  the  world  "  not  to  con- 
demn the  world,  but  to  save  it,"  John  iii.  17.  She 
was  in  the  presence  of  him  who  left  the  realms  of 
glory  and  his  Father's  bosom,  to  save  the  chief  of 
sinners.  Here  was  one;  and  his  heart  yearned,  and 
his  spirit  was  moved  with  pity  and  compassion.  ISTot 
a  reproving  glance  darted  from  his  eye,  nor  an  up- 
braiding word  breathed  from  his  lips.  Listen  to  the 
music  of  his  voice, — "  "Woman,  where  are  those  thine 
accusers  ?  hath  no  man  condemned  thee  ?  She  said, 
1^0  man.  Lord.  And  Jesus  said  unto  her,  ISTeither 
do  I  condemn  thee  :  go,  and  sin  no  more."  How 
like  himself  did  he  now  appear !  Here  was  a  flower 
bhghted  — did  he  despise  it?  Here  was  a  stem 
bruised— did  he  break  it  ?  Here  was  a  plant  crushed 
—did  he  trample  it  beneath  his  feet  ?  ITo  !  he  took 
that  blighted  flower,  and  placed  it  in  his  bosom. 
With  skilful  and  tender  hands  he  bound  up  that 
bruised  stem.  He  stooped  and  raised  that  prostrate 
plant,  lifted  it  into  sunshine,  and  bade  it  droop  and 
fall  no  more. 

0  blessed  type  of  Christ's  conduct  towards  a  peni- 
tent sinner  !  Behold  the  soul  prostrated  at  the  foot 
of  the  cross.  He  admits  the  truth  of  all  the  accusa- 
tions alleged  against  him.  He  disproves  not,  nor 
palliates  a  single  one.  "Lord  I  have  destroyed  my- 
self," is  his  mournful,  humiliating  acknowledgement. 


54  ALONE    WITH   JESUS. 

But  alone  the  sinner  and  the  Saviour  stand.  The 
one  all  sin — the  other  all  mercy.     The  one  all  fear 

—  the  other  all  love.  The  bosom  of  the  one  agi- 
tated and  convulsed  with  guilt  and  shame  —  the 
bosom  of  the  other  thrilling,  and  yearning  with  mercy 
and  forgiveness.  "  Art  thou,"  says  Jesus,  "  convicted 
of  this  sin  ?   Hast  thou  fled  to  my  cross  for  salvation 

—  to  my  bosom  for  shelter  ?  Hast  thou  repaired  to 
my  blood  for  pardon,  and  taken  hold  of  my  right- 
eousness for  acceptance  ?  Hast  thou  appealed  to  my 
compassion,  and  thrown  thyself  upon  my  mercy? 
Then  /  do  not  condemn  thee.  Thou  hast  touched 
every  spring  of  tenderness  in  my  heart ;  thou  hast 
stirred  my  mercy  to  its  very  depth ;  thou  hast 
crowned  and  glorified  me  in  that  which  is  most  dear 
to  my  heart — my  power  and  my  willingness  to  save 
to  the  uttermost ;  thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee ;  I  con- 
demn thee  not." 

It  will  perhaps  be  replied.  But  he  declined  to  con- 
demn this  woman  as  a  civil  ^udge.  Grant  it.  Shall 
we  suppose  that  our  Lord  is  less  compassionate  and 
merciful  as  a  moral  judge  ?  If  he  refuses  the  ofiice 
of  a  temporal  magistrate,  does  it  follow  that  he 
vacates  that  of  a  spiritual  minister  ?  If  he  does  not 
sit  in  the  seat  of  Moses,  will  he  abandon  his  own 
mercy-seat  ?  No.  He  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost.  He  came  to  call,  not  the  righteous, 
but  sinners  to  repentance.  And  to  every  repentant 
sinner  brought  into  his  presence,  in  the  face  of  all 
his  accusers,  he  says,  "I  condemn  thee  not." 

We  turn  to  the  closinfj^  scene  of  this  instructive 


ALONE    AVITII    JESUS.  55 

narrative — Christ's  dismissal  of  the  woman.  "Go, 
and  sin  no  more."  See  how  he  manifests  his  abhor- 
rence of  the  sin,  while  he  throws  his  sliield  of  mercy 
around  the  sinner.  The  Lord  does  not  justify  the 
sinner's  transgression,  though  he  justifies  the  sinner's 
person.  In  the  great  matter  of  salvation,  justifica- 
tion and  sanctification,  pardon  and  holiness,  are  es- 
sentially and  inseparably  united.  When  the  Lord 
Jesus  dismisses  a  sinner  with  a  sense  of  acquittal  in 
his  conscience,  it  is  ever  accompanied  with  that 
most  afiecting  of  all  exhortations,  "Sin  no  more." 
And  as  he  passes  out  from  the  presence  of  Jesus, 
pardoned,  justified,  saved,  the  Saviour's  tender,  soul- 
subduing  words,  from  that  moment  seem  to  vibrate 
upon  his  ear,  every  step  of  his  onward  way.  "  Go, 
admire,  and  publish  abroad  the  glory  of  that  grace 
that  has  done  such  great  things  for  thee.  Go,  and 
spread  his  fame,  and  with  thy  latest  breath  dwell 
upon  his  name,  who,  when  sin,  and  Satan,  and  con- 
science accused  thee,  and  would  have  consigned  thee 
to  eternal  woe,  appeared  thy  Friend,  thine  Advocate, 
and  thy  Saviour.  Go,  and  when  tempted  to  wound 
afresh  the  bosom  that  sheltered  thee,  remember  me 
from  Gethsemane,  from  Calvarj^,  and  from  the  hal- 
lowed spot  where  I  spake  to  thee,  '  I  condemn  thee 

not. — Go,  AND    SIN   NO    MORE.'  " 

In  closing  this  chapter,  suffer  me,  dear  reader,  to 
urge  upon  you  the  daily  and  diligent  cultivation  of 
that  Christianity  which  derives  its  freshness,  its 
vigour,  and  its  gloss,  from  much  hidden  intercourse 


56  ALONE   WITU   JESUS. 

with  Jesns.  We  plead  not  for  the  religion  of  the 
recluse.  A  monkish  Christianity  is  not  the  Chris- 
tianity of  the  Bihle.  When  God,  in  the  exercise  of 
his  sovereign  grace,  converts  a  man,  he  converts 
him,  not  for  himself  only,  but  also  for  others.  He 
converts  him,  not  for  the  church  alone,  but  also  for 
the  world.  He  is  to  be  a  monument,  whose  inscrip- 
tion all  may  read  —  a  city,  whose  beauty  all  may 
admire  —  a  burning  and  a  shining  light,  in  whose 
radiance  all  may  rejoice.  He  is  to  live  and  labour, 
and,  if  needs  be,  die  for  others.  But  we  plead  for 
more  of  that  Christianity  which  is  often  alone  with 
God ;  which  w^ithdraws  at  periods  from  the  fatigue 
of  labour  and  the  din  of  strife — to  renew  its 
strength,  and  to  replenish  its  resources,  in  a  secret 
waiting  upon  the  Lord.  Christians  must  be  more 
alone  with  Jesus.  In  the  midst  of  what  a  whirlpool 
of  excitement  and  of  turmoil  do  numbers  live ! 
How  few  withdraw  from  domestic  and  public  enjoy- 
ments— the  calls  of  business,  the  duties  of  commit- 
tees, of  secretaryships,  and  of  agencies  —  to  hold 
communion  alone  with  God !  This  must  not  be. 
The  institutions  which  they  serve,  the  calling  at 
which  they  toil,  the  families  for  whom  they  labour, 
would  be  the  gainers,  rather  than  the  losers,  by 
their  occasional  sequesterments  from  the  world,  to 
be  alone  with  God.  And  were  our  Lord  still  upon 
the  earth,  and  contemplating  their  incessant  action 
and  little  devotional  retirement,  and  consequent 
leanness  of  spirit,  would  he  not  be  constrained  to 


ALONE    WITH    JESUS.  57 

address  tliem  as  be  once  tenderly  did  his  jaded  and 
exhausted  disciples,  "  Come  ye  yourselves  apart  into 
a  desert  place,  and  rest  awhile?"  He  would  allure 
them  from  others  to  himself. 

It  is  possible,  my  dear  reader,  that  this  page  may 
be  read  by  jow  at  a  period  of  painful  and  entire 
separation  from  all  public  engagements,  ordinances, 
and  privileges.  The  way  which  it  has  pleased  the 
Lord  to  take  thus  to  set  you  aside,  may  be  painful 
and  humbling.  The  inmate  of  a  sick  chamber,  or 
curtained  within  the  house  of  mourning,  or  removed 
far  remote  from  the  sanctuary  of  God  and  the 
fellowship  of  the  saints,  you  are  perhaps  led  to 
inquire,  "Lord,  why  this  ?"  He  replies,  "  Come  ye 
apart  and  rest  awhile."  0  the  thoughtfulness,  the 
discrimination,  the  tenderness  of  Jesus  towards  his 
people  !  He  has  set  you  apart  from  public  for  private 
duties,  from  communion  with  others,  for  communion 
with  himself.  Ministers,  friends,  privileges,  are  with- 
drawn, and  you  are  —  0  enviable  state  ! — alone  with 
Jesus.  And  now  expect  the  richest  and  holiest  bless- 
ing of  your  life  !  Is  it  sickness  P  Jesus  will  make  all 
thy  bed  in  thy  sickness,  and  your  experience  shall  be, 
"  his  left  hand  is  under  my  head,  and  his  right  hand 
doth  embrace  me."  Is  it  bereavement  P  Jesus  will 
soothe  thy  sorrow,  and  sweeten  thy  loneliness,  for 
he  loves  to  visit  the  house  of  mourning,  and  to 
accompany  us  to  the  grave  to  weep  with  us  there. 
Is  it  exile  from  the  house  of  God,  from  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  church,  from  a  pastor's  care,  from 


58  ALONE   WITH   JE.'rUS. 

Christian  fellowship  ?  Still  it  is  Jesus  who  speaks, 
"  There  will  I  be  unto  you  as  a  little  sanctuary." 
The  very  circumstances,  new  and  peculiar  as  they 
are,  in  which  you  are  placed,  God  can  convert 
into  new  and  pecuhar  mercies,  yea,  into  the  richest 
means  of  grace  with  which  your  soul  was  ever  fed. 
The  very  void  you  feel,  the  very  want  you  deplore, 
may  be  God's  way  of  satiating  you  with  his  good- 
ness. Ah  !  does  not  God  see  thy  grace  in  thy  very 
desire  for  grace  ?  Does  he  not  mark  thy  sanctifica- 
tion  in  thy  very  thirsting  for  holiness  ?  And  can  he 
not  turn  that  desire  and  convert  that  thirst  into  the 
very  blessing  itself?  Truly  he  can,  and  often  does. 
As  one  has  remarked,  God  knows  how  to  give  the 
comfort  of  an  ordinance  in  the  want  of  an  ordinance. 
And  he  can  now  more  than  supply  the  absence  of 
others  by  the  presence  of  himself  Oh,  who  can 
compute  the  blessings  which  now  may  flow  into 
your  soul  from  this  season  of  exile  and  of  solitude  ? 
Solitude  !  no,  it  is  not  solitude.  ISTever  wert  thou 
less  alone  than  now.  You  are  alone  with  God,  and 
he  is  infinitely  better  than  health,  wealth,  friends, 
ministers,  or  sanctuary,  for  he  is  the  substance  and 
the  sweetness  of  all.  You  have  perhaps  been 
labouring  and  watching  for  the  souls  of  others ;  the 
Lord  is  now  showing  his  tender  care  for  thine. 
And  oh,  if  while  thus  alone  with  Jesus  you  are  led 
more  deeply  to  search  out  the  plague  of  your  own 
heart,  and  the  love  of  his — to  gather  up  the  trailing 
garment — to  burnish  the  rusted  armour  —  to  trim 


ALONE    WITH    JESUS.  59 

the  glimmering  lamp— and  to  cultivate  a  closer 
fellowship  with  thy  Father,  how  much  soever  you 
may  mourn  the  necessity  and  the  cause,  you  yet 
will  not  regret  that  the  Lord  hath  set  you  apart  from 
others  that  you  might  rest  awhile  in  his  blest  embrace 

ALONE    WITH   JeSUS. 

"Alone  with  God !  the  universe  shut  out, 
Earth,  sense,  and  time,  excluded  and  forgot ; 
All  memories  vanished  of  the  parted  past. 
All  prospects  of  the  future  overborne 
And  swallowed  up  in  that  one  mighty  sense, 
That  all-engrossing  consciousness  of  God  ! 

"  Alone  with  God  !  all  earth-born  love  absorbed, 
All  earthly  ties  dissolved — all  thoughts  of  those 
Long  held  most  dear, — Elisha-like,  who  clung 
Around  the  parting  soul  to  Tabor's  brink, 
For  a  brief  space  (brief  to  eternity) 
Lost  in  that  all-pervading  thought  of  God  ! 

"  Alone  with  God  !  angelic  hosts  around 
*  In  burning  row,'  attending,  but  unseen, 
Angelic  harps  unheard,  though  far  and  high. 
The  sounding  cadence  of  their  anthem  rolls  ; 

The  sea  of  crystal,  and  the  streets  of  gold 

The  walls  of  jasper,  and  the  gates  of  pearl. 
Unnoticed  all,  resplendent  though  they  be, 
The  throne,  and  Him  who  sits  thereon,  beheld, 
Nought  else  besides,  in  solitude  sublime  ! 
And  dost  thou  shrink,  my  spirit,  from  the  sight 
Of  uncreated  majesty,  and  quail 
To  meet  the  Eternal,  naked  and  alone  ? 

"  Alone  with  God  !— I  shrink  not— He  is  great— 
His  awful  glory,  when  unveiled,  might  well 
Consume  the  spirits  He  hath  made  ;  but  still 
I  shrink  not— He  is  holy,  too,  and  just. 


60  ALONE    WITH    JESUS. 

And  very  terrible  :     He  dwells  in  light 
That  no  man  can  approach — no  mortal  eye 
Can  look  upon  and  live  ;— but  there  is  One 
Beside  Him  whom  I  dare  to  meet  alone — 
Whom  I  have  met  alone  at  midnight  hour, 
In  dark  Gethsemane's  sequestered  shades, 
Alone,  though  trembling;  friends  and  armed  foes 
Peopling  the  solitude,  were  round  ua  there  ; 
Whom  I  have  met  alone  on  Calvary's  hill. 
Though  taunting  crowds  and  dying  men  were  there  ; 
Whom  I  have  met  alone  on  Tabor's  mount. 
Unmindful  of  the  little  band  that  there 
Held  heavenly  converse,  sacredly  amazed. 

"  Alone  with  Jesus  !  no,  I  cannot  shrink 
From  that  blest  fellowship,  unbroken,  deep, 
And  soul-absorbing  in  the  spirit  land. 
So  oft  intruded  on  in  this  dark  world. 
By  mortal  joys  and  sorrows  that  would  rob 
My  soul  of  that  communiorr,  pure  and  high. 

"  Alone  with  Jesus  !  on  the  Saviour's  breast 
Fondly  to  lean,  and  think  on  none  but  him ; 
How  oft  my  spirit  feels  lost  in  the  crowd 
Of  fellow-worshippers  below,  above, — 
And  longs,  like  his  small  band  on  earth,  to  be 
*  Led  out  into  a  desert  place  alone,' 
To  hear  his  voice,  and  share  his  love,  as  though 
That  voice  and  heart  of  love  were  only  mine. 

"  Alone  with  God  !  in  that  blest  solitude, 
Could  earth  be  wanting  with  its  fleeting  joys, 
Or  even  its  most  abiding  ;  and  most  pure 
To  fill  the  measure  of  a  finite  soul ! 
In  that  august  communion  could  the  loss 
Of  mortal  converse  shade  the  holy  light, 
Or  mar  the  sacred  joy  which,  as  a  tide, 
A  swelling  tide  of  ecstacy,  rolls  in 
Upon  the  spirit  conscious  but  of  God  V 


CHAPTEK  III. 


THE  PASTOR'S  REQUEST  FOR  THE    PRAYERS    OF 
HIS  FLOCK. 

Praying  always  with  all  prayer  and  supplication  in  the  Spirit  — 
and  for  me,  that  utterance  may  be  given  unto  me,  that  I  may  open 
my  mouth  boldly,  to  make  known  the  mystery  of  the  gospel."  — 
Eph.  vi.  18,  19. 


The  Church  of  God,  as  if  reflecting  from  its 
bosom,  hke  a  sea  of  glass,  the  order  and  the 
perfection  of  the  heaven  of  glory,  from  which  it 
descended,  presents  a  beautiful  harmony  of  relation 
and  dependence  in  all  its  parts ;  while,  as  a  whole, 
it  forms  a  temple  of  magnificent  construction  and 
consummate  symmetry  —  the  Zion  of  God,  the 
"  perfection  of  beauty."  In  nothing  does  the 
evidence  of  this  more  strikingly  appear  than  in 
the  relation  of  the  Church  of  God  and  the  Christian 
ministry.  The  obligations  involved  in  this  relation, 
and  the  reciprocal  influence  which  it  is  perpetually 
exerting,  illustrate  the  harmony  of  this  master-piece 
of  divine  workmanship  in  a  manner  the  most 
surprising.  The  Christian  church  and  the  Christian 
ministry  are  coeval  institutions.  Separate  and 
distinct  from  each  other  though  they  are,  they  yet 
never  existed  apart.  There  never  was  a  church 
without  a  ministry ;  and  the  appointment  of  the 
6  (61) 


G2  THE  pastor's  request  for 

Christian  ministry  always  implied  the  existence  of 
the  Christian  church — the  one  necessarily  involving 
the  other.  Of  this  beautiful  relation  in  one  of  its 
most  interesting  features  we  are  now  to  speak — viz., 
the  RELIANCE  or  THE  Christian  ministry  upon  the 
INTERCESSIONS  OF  THE  Church.  It  might  bo 
supposed,  from  a  cursory  view  of  this  subject,  that 
a  Christian  pastor,  from  the  exalted  nature  of  his 
office,  and  from  the  superior  attainments  in  grace 
and  knowledge  to  which  he  is  supposed  to  have 
arrived,  would  occupy  a  place  so  far  in  the  ascendant 
of  the  feeblest  member  of  his  flock,  as  to  place  him 
in  a  position  independent  of  the  influence  which 
that  individual  might  be  capable  of  exerting. 
But  not  so.  And  here  we  trace  the  wisdom  and 
the  goodness  of  God  in  the  nice  adjustment 
of  every  part  of  the  body  of  Christ  to  the 
whole.  As  in  the  physical  structure  of  the  human 
frame,  the  smallest  and  most  insignificent  muscles 
are  observed  to  perform  the  most  important  and 
delicate  actions  —  the  minutest  fibre  transmitting  a 
vital  influence  to  the  brain — so  in  the  more  beauti- 
ful and  perfect  body,  the  church  of  God,  "much 
more  those  members  which  seem  to  be  more  feeble 
are  necessary."  Thus  no  pastor  can  be  unaffected 
by  the  individual  influence  of  the  lowliest  member 
of  a  Christian  body. 

The  portion  of  God's  word  which  suggests  the 
topic  of  this  chapter,  presents  to  our  view  the 
sublime  moral  spectacle  of  the  great  Apostle  of  the 
Gentiles  —  a  man  full  of  wisdom  and  of  the  Holy 


THE    PRAYERS    OF   HIS    FLOCK.  63 

Spirit,  mighty  in  grace,  and  enriched  in  gifts  —  so 
deeply  conscious  of  personal  weakness,  and  so 
crashed  by  the  weight  of  his  official  responsibilities, 
and  so  desirous,  too,  of  delivering  his  divine  message 
with  a  moral  courage  worthy  of  its  high  character, 
stooping  to  ask  at  the  hands  of  the  Ephesian 
church,  and  even  of  the  obscurest  member  of  that 
church,  an  interest  in  his  intercessory  prayers. 
"  Praying  always  with  all  prayer  and  supplication 
in  the  Spirit  —  and  for  me,  that  utterance  may  be 
given  unto  me,  that  I  may  open  my  mouth  boldly, 
to  make  known  the  mystery  of  the  gospel."  The 
subject  is  an  interesting  and  an  important  one.  Its 
bearings  upon  the  mutual  usefulness,  holiness,  and 
happiness  of  a  pastor  and  his  flock  are  solemn  and 
far-reaching.  It  affords  a  solution  of  a  difficult 
problem  —  why  there  is  often,  comparatively,  so 
little  happiness  and  perpetuity  in  the  pastoral  rela- 
tion ;  and  why  there  is  so  much  complaint  on  the 
one  part  of  unprofitable  preaching,  and  on  the 
other  part  of  careless  and  fruitless  hearing. 
Prayer  for  the  pastor  is  restrained  before  God! 
Let  us  endeavour  to  understand  the  meaniug  of  the 
apostle's  words,  that  we  may  feel  the  full  force  of 
his  earnest  and  solemn  request. 

The  first  point  to  which  it  is  proper  to  turn  our 
attention  is,  the  sublime  topic  of  the  Qhristia^i  Blinis- 
try.  The  apostle  designates  it  the  "  mystery  of  the 
gospel."  He  doubtless  borrows  the  word  from  the 
secret  rites  of  the  heathen  temples,  to  which  none 
were  admitted,  and  which  none  understood  but  the 


G4  THE  pastor's  request  for 

initiated.  To  all  others  tliey  were  mysteries.  Freed 
from  its  original  and  profane  use,  it  is  here  appro- 
priately applied  to  designate  the  nature  and  the  doc- 
trines of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  thus  becomes  by 
its  association,  a  hallowed  and  expressive  term. 
IlTor  is  this  the  only  place  in  which  it  occurs  in  the 
same  use.  Thus  in  1  Cor.  ii.  7,  "We  speak  the 
wisdom  of  God  in  a  mystery,  even  the  hidden  wis- 
dom, which  God  ordained  before  the  world  for  our 
glory."  Equally  clear  is  it,  that  none  are  initiated 
into  this  mystery  of  the  gospel  but  those  who  are 
partakers  of  the  second  birth.  For  "  unless  a  man 
he  horn  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God." 
It  is  to  him  a  mystery.  He  is  blind  and  cannot  see 
the  glorious  mysteries  of  this  kingdom  of  grace. 
Addressing  his  twelve  disciples,  our  Lord  further 
elucidates  this  idea  when  he  reminds  them  of  their 
great  and  gracious  privilege :  "  Unto  you  it  is  given 
to  know  the  mystery  of  the  kingdom  of  God :  but 
unto  them  that  are  without,  all  these  things  are 
done  in  parables."  Mark  iv.  11.  Still  more  clearly 
is  this  truth  developed  in  his  remarkable  prayer  thus 
recorded  :  "  In  that  hour  Jesus  rejoiced  in  his  spirit 
and  said,  I  thank  thee,  0  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and 
earth,  that  thou  hast  hidden  these  things  from  the 
wise  and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes : 
even  so.  Father;  for  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight." 
Luke  X.  21.  Permit  one  remark  in  passing  :  If,  dear 
reader,  you  have  been  led  in  any  degree  into  the 
knowledge  of  this  glorious  mystery  of  truth,  hesi- 
tate not  to  ascribe  it  to  the  grace  of  God.   Unto  you 


THE   PRAYERS   OF   HIS   FLOCK.  t»5 

it  has  been  given  to  know  the  mystery  of  the  king- 
dom. The  sovereignty  of  God  has  so  ordered  it. 
The  learning,  the  intellect,  and  the  philosophy  of 
the  worldly  wise  and  prudent,  have  afforded  you  no 
help  in  the  solution  and  unravelling  of  these  divine 
and  glorious  enigmas.  "But  God  hath  revealed 
them  unto  us  by  his  Spirit :  for  the  Spirit  searcheth 
all  things,  yea,  the  deep  things  of  God."  To  babes 
in  Christ  —  to  the  lowly-minded  disciple  —  to  the 
learner,  willing  to  receive  the  kingdom  of  God,  as 
a  little  child  —  God  unfolds  this  mystery,  that  no 
flesh  should  glory  in  his  presence.  0  favoured, 
happy  soul,  if  thou,  through  the  illuminating  grace 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  hast  been  led  into  the  mystery 
of  the  Father's  love  in  Christ  to  poor  perishing  sin- 
ners !  "  Even  so,  Father ;  for  so  it  seemed  good  in 
thy  sight!" 

Il^ow,  here  at  the  very  threshold  of  the  kingdom 
of  grace,  many  hesitate  and  stumble.  The  glory  of 
the  Gospel — its  divine  mystery — is  their  great  hin- 
drance. The  dim  light  of  nature  has  conducted 
them  thus  far,  and  here  they  are  brought  to  a  stand. 
Looking  into  the  sacred  volume,  and  finding  doc- 
trines there  propounded  for  their  faith,  which  tower 
above  their  reason,  they  scornfully  cast  it  aside, 
proudly  and  triumphantly  asking,  "If  this  were  a 
revelation  from  God,  why  has  he  not  excluded  all 
mystery,  clothing  every  truth  with  light,  and  free- 
ing ever}^  doctrine  from  difficulty  ?  Why  cannot  we 
understand  what  he  has  revealed  ?  Are  we  such 
babes  in  understanding,  or  such  dolts  in  intellect, 


66  THE  pastor's  request  for 

that  these  revelations  should  be  veiled  in  mystery  ? 
And  are  we  such  fools  as  to  believe  that  to  be  true 
which  our  reason  pronounces  to  be  false?"  Thus, 
"  vain  man  would  be  wise,  though  man  be  born  like 
a  wild  ass's  colt." 

But,  if  it  may  avail  to  argue  with  such  an  objec- 
tor, we  would  inquire, —  Is  not  the  world  without 
you  and  the  world  within  you  crowded  with  prob- 
lems, which  laugh  to  scorn  your  oft-made  attempts 
to  solve  them  ?  Is  not  the  universe  of  mind  and  of 
matter,  of  which  you  form  a  most  mysterious  speck, 
replete  with  mysteries  which  you  cannot  explore? 
Either  search  out  those  difficulties, '>nd  unravel 
those  mysteries,  and  thus  plant  a  new  sun  in  the  in- 
tellectual firmament,  that  shall  dispel  the  lingering 
night  of  ages,  or  admit  the  truth  of  the  mystery  of 
the  gospel.  Where  will  you  place  your  foot  on  this 
little  planet  of  ours,  that  brings  you  not  in  contact 
with  some  law  or  with  some  product  of  nature 
which  you  cannot  explain  ?  The  leaf  that  falls  on 
the  pathless  desert,  the  dust  brushed  from  the 
emmet's  wing,  baffle  and  confound  you.  The  pul- 
sations at  your  heart,  the  movement  of  your  arm, 
awe  and  embarrass  you.  Your  very  being  is  a 
fathomless  mystery  !  Why,  then,  assume  an  air  of 
such  astonishment,  and  an  attitude  of  such  contempt 
— why  look,  wh}^  speak  so  doubtingl}^,  when  we  pre- 
sent for  your  belief  the  mystery  of  revelation  ;  the 
inexplicable  wonders  of  God's  salvation  of  man  ? 
^'  Observe,  I  pray  you,"  argues,  with  much  force  and 
beauty,  an  eminent  continental   divine,  "in  what 


THE   PRAYERS   OF   HIS   FLOCK.  67 

manner  the  mysteries  of  wliicli  you  complain  have 
taken  their  part  in  religion.  You  readily  perceive 
they  are  not  hy  themselves,  but  associated  with 
truths  which  have  a  direct  hearing  on  your  salvation. 
They  contain  them,  they  serve  to  envelope  them ; 
but  they  are  not  themselves  the  truths  that  save. 
It  is  with  these  mysteries  as  it  is  with  the  vessel 
which  contains  a  medicinal  draught ;  it  is  not  the 
vessel  that  cures,  but  the  draught ;  yet  the  draught 
could  not  be  presented  without  the  vessel.  Thus 
each  truth  that  saves  is  contained  in  a  mystery, 
which,  in  itself,  has  no  power  to  save.  So  the  great 
work  of  expiation  is  necessarily  attached  to  the  in- 
carnation of  the  Son  of  God,  which  is  a  mystery ; 
so  the  sanctifying  graces  of  the  new  covenant  are 
necessarily  connected  with  the  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  which  is  a  mystery  ;  so,  too,  the  divinity 
of  religion  iinds  a  seal  and  an  attestation  in  the  mira- 
cles, which  are  mysteries.  Everywhere  the  light  is 
born  from  darkness,  and  darkness  accompanies  the 
light.  These  two  orders  of  truth  are  so  united,  so 
interlinked,  that  you  cannot  remove  the  one  without 
the  other ;  and  each  of  the  mysteries  you  attempt  to 
tear  from  religion,  would  carry  with  it  one  of  the 
truths  which  bear  directly  on  your  regeneration  and 
salvation.  Accept  the  mysteries,  then,  not  as  truths 
that  can  save  you,  but  as  the  necessary  conditions 
of  the  merciful  work  of  the  Lord  in  your  behalf 

"  The  true  point  at  issue  in  reference  to  religion 
is  this, — Does  the  religion  which  is  proposed  to  us 
change  the  heart,  unite  to  God,  prepare  for  heaven? 


68  THE  pastor's  request  for 

If  Christianity  produces  these  effects,  we  will  leave 
the  enemies  of  the  cross  free  to  revolt  against  its 
mysteries,  and  tax  them  with  absurdity.  The 
gospel,  we  will  say  to  them,  is  then  an  absurdity  : 
you  have  discovered  it.  But  behold  what  a  new 
species  of  absurdity  that  certainly  is,  which  attaches 
man  to  all  his  duties,  regulates  human  life  better 
than  all  the  doctrines  of  sages,  plants  in  his  bosom 
harmony,  order,  and  peace,  causes  him  joyfully  to 
fulfil  all  the  offices  of  civil  life,  renders  him  better 
fitted  to  live,  better  fitted  to  die,  and  which,  were  it 
generally  received,  would  be  the  support  and  safe- 
guard of  society !  Cite  to  us,  among  all  human 
absurdities,  a  single  one  which  produces  such  efiects. 
If  that  '  foolishness'  we  preach  produces  efiects  like 
these  is  it  not  natural  to  conclude  that  it  is  truth 
itself?  And  if  these  things  have  not  entered  the 
heart  of  man,  it  is  not  because  they  are  absurd,  but 
because  they  are  divine."  * 

And  yet  how  credulous  is  man  when  folly  clothes 
itself  in  affected  mystery,  and  demands  his  faith ! 
The  atheist,  for  example,  seizing  upon  every  child- 
ish cause,  that  promises  to  solve  his  difficulties,  and 
dispel  his  fears ;  the  sceptic,  launched  upon  the 
stormy  sea  of  uncertainty  and  doubt,  becomes  the 
plaything  of  chance  and  fate,  whose  dreamings  he 
implicitly  believes.  What  folly  so  egregious  has  not 
man  credited  ?  By  what  imposture  so  gross  has  he 
not  been  entrapped  ?  And  to  what  superstition  so 
abject   has   he   not   been   a   slave?     And   yet  the 

*  Alexander  Vinet,  D.  D.,  Lausanne. 


THE   PRAYERS   OF  HIS   FLOCK.  69 

sublime,  glorious,  precious  mystery  of  the  gospel, 
he,  in  the  pride  of  his  intellect,  and  in  the 
depravity  of  his  heart,  scornfully  and  utterly 
rejects ! 

"Yea,  I  have  seen  grey-headed  men,  the  bastard  slips  of 
science, 

Go  for  light  to  glow-worms,  while  they  scorn  the  sun  at 
noon: 

Men,  who  fear  no  God,  trembling  at  a  gipsy's  curse  ; 

Men,  who  jest  at  revelation,  clinging  to  a  madman's  pro- 
phecy \" 

But  let  us  specify  some  of  the  mysteries  of  the 
gospel,  which,  while  it  declares  transcending  our 
reason,  yet  propounds  for  our  faith. 

We  commence  with  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity. 
That  this  is  a  truth  of  express  revelation,  we  think 
it  will  not  be  difficult  to  show.  We  may  not  find 
the  term  employed  to  designate  the  doctrine  in  the 
Bible,  but  if  we  find  the  doctrine  itself  there,  it  is 
all  that  we  ask.  On  opening  the  Bible,  with  a 
view  to  the  examination  of  this  subject,  the  first 
truth  that  arrests  our  attention,  is  a  solemn  declara- 
tion of  the  Divine  Unity,  —  "  Hear,  0  Israel :  The 
Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord."     Deut.  vi.  4. 

Prosecuting  our  research,  we  find  two  distinct 
persons  spoken  of  in  relation  to  the  Godhead,  under 
the  titles  of  the  "Son  of  God,"  and  the  "Holy 
Spirit  of  God,"  to  whom  are  ascribed  the  attributes 
of  Deity  and  the  qualities  of  a  person,  implj-ing 
Divine  Personality,     A  step  further  brings  us  to  a 


70  THE  pastor's  request  for 

passage  in  wliich  we  find  these  three  distinct 
divine  persons,  associated  in  an  act  of  .solemn 
worship, — '^  Go,  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit."  What  conckision  must  we  draw  from 
these  premises  ?  First,  that  there  is  a  unity  in  the 
Godhead;  and  secondly,  that  in  this  unity,  or  in 
this  one  Godhead,  there  is  a  trinity  of  persons,  or 
three  distinct  subsistences,  styled  the  Father,  the 
Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  Here,  then,  we  have 
the  doctrine  for  which  we  plead.  The  following 
passage  clearly  teaches  the  same  glorious  truth. 
Matt.  iii.  16 :  "  And  Jesus,  when  he  was  baptized 
went  up  straightway  out  of  the  water :  and,  lo,  the 
heavens  were  opened  unto  him,  and  he  saw  the 
Spirit  of  God  descending  like  a  dove,  and  lighting 
upon  him."  What  a  conclusive  evidence  is  this 
passage  of  the  blessed  Trinity !  The  Father 
speaks  from  the  excellent  glory ;  the  Son  ascends 
from  the  water,  and  receives  the  attestation  of  his 
Father;  and  the  Holy  Spirit  descends  from  the 
heavens,  and  overshadows  him.  Here  are  three 
distinct  persons,  to  each  of  whom  the  marks  of 
Deity  are  ascribed,  and  between  whom  it  is  impos- 
sible not  to  observe  a  bond  of  the  closest  and 
tenderest  unity.  Again,  1  Cor.  xii.  4 — 6  :  "  N^ow 
there  are  diversities  of  gifts,  but  the  same  Spirit. 
And  there  are  differences  of  administrations,  but  the 
same  Lord.  And  there  are  diversities  of  operations; 
but  it  is  the  same  God  who  worketh  all  in  all." 
With  what  a  sunbeam  is  this  glorious  truth  here 


THE   PRAYERS    OE   HIS   FLOCK.  71 

written !  How  richly  it  glows  with  light  pecu- 
liarly its  own !  That  here  are  three  distinct  sub- 
sistences, who  can  deny  ?  And  that  they  are  equals 
who  can  doubt  ?  Gal.  iv.  6  :  ''And  because  ye  are 
sons,  God  hath  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  His  Son 
into  your  hearts,  crying,  Abba,  Father."  Again, 
here  are  three  persons  announced  in  connexion  with 
the  blessed  act  of  the  Father's  adoption  of  his 
people.  Jude  20,  21 :  "  But  ye,  beloved,  building 
up  yourselves  on  your  most  holy  faith,  praying  in 
the  Holy  Ghost,  keep  yourselves  in  the  love  of 
God,  looking  for  the  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  unto  eternal  life.  Wilfully,  or  judicially 
blind  must  he  be,  who  sees  not  in  these  words  the 
great  truth  for  which  we  plead.  And  it  is  the 
glory  of  our  land,  and  the  joy  of  our  hearts,  to 
know,  that  from  every  Christian  pulpit,  the  doctrine 
of  the  bkssed  Trinity  is  proclaimed  whenever  the 
apostolic  benediction  is  pronounced,  "  The  grace 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love  of  God, 
and  the  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  with 
you  all.     Amen." 

That  the  mode  of  its  existence  is  an  awful  mystery, 
we  unhesitatingly  admit ;  but  it  is  not  the  mode  of 
the  fact,  but  the  fact  itself,  which  the  word  presents 
as  the  object  of  our  faith.  I  am  not  required  to 
believe  how  the  three  persons  subsist  as  the  One  God- 
head :  but  I  am  to  believe  upon  the  express  testi- 
mony of  revelation  that  they  do  so  exist.  I  find  a 
Trinity  within  me — matter,  mind,  and  spirit.  I  am 
baffled  in  my  attempts  to  unravel  the  mystery.     In 


72  THE  pastor's  request  for 

vain  I  search  for  a  clue  :  every  attempt  leaves  me 
puzzled,  lost,  and  more  confounded.  Do  I  therefore 
den}^  my  own  being?  Or,  do  I  not  rather  subordi- 
nate my  reason  to  my  faith,  believing  a  fact,  the 
truth  of  which  I  have  the  evidence,  but  the  mode 
of  which  I  cannot  understand  ?  Surely,  then,  if  I 
cannot  fathom  the  shallows  of  a  finite  existence,  how 
can  I  fathom  the  depths  of  an  infinite?  Foolish 
man  !  expecting  all  else  to  be  wrapped  in  profound 
mystery,  and  God  alone  to  be  understood  !  "  Canst 
thou  by  searching  find  out  God  ?  canst  thou  find  out 
the  Almighty  unto  perfection?  It  is  higher  than 
heaven,  what  canst  thou  do  ?  deeper  than  hell,  what 
canst  thou  know  ?  The  measure  thereof  is  longer 
than  the  earth,  and  broader  than  the  sea." 

There  is  so  much  excellence  of  thought,  and  so 
clearly  expressed,  in  the  following  observations,  appo- 
site to  our  subject,  by  one  of  the  ablest  divines,  that 
we  are  constrained  to  quote  them.  Alluding  to  the 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  he  remarks  : — "  The  doctrine 
of  which  I  now  speak  is  freely  admitted  to  be  above 
reason.  But  it  is  of  consequence  to  observe,  that 
on  this  very  account,  it  seems  impossible  to  prove  it 
contrary  to  reason.  It  is  a  common  and  just  remark, 
that  there  is  an  essential  difierence  between  anything 
being  above  reason,  and  being  contrary  to  it ;  and 
that  it  may  be  the  former,  without  being  the  latter. 
I  think  we  may  go  a  step  farther,  and  aflirm,  as  I 
have  just  hinted,  that  this  very  circumstance  of  its 
being  the  former,  precludes  the  possibility  of  proving 
it  to  be  the  latter.   I  question  whether  anything  that 


THE   PRAYERS    OF   HIS   FLOCK  73 

is  above  reason  can  ever  be  shown  to  be  contrary 
to  it.  For  unless  we  have  some  notion  of  the  thing 
itself,  on  what  principle  can  we  make  out  the  con- 
trariety ?  Were  we  to  say  that  the  persons  of  the  God- 
head are  one  and  three  in  the  same  sense,  we  should 
evidently  affirm  what  is  contrary  to  reason ;  because 
such  a  proposition  would  involve,  in  the  very  terms 
of  it,  an  irreconcilable  contradiction  ;  but  so  long  as 
we  do  not  pretend  to  know,  nor  to  say,  how  they  are 
one,  and  how  they  are  three,  to  prove  that  we  assert 
what  is  contrary  to  reason,  when  we  affirm  that  they 
are  both,  is,  from  the  very  nature  of  the  thing, 
impossible.  For  what  is  it  w^iich  is  to  be  proved 
contrary  to  reason?  Upon  the  supposition  made, 
we  cannot  tell — it  is  something  which  we  do  not  know, 
of  the  nature  and  circumstances  of  which  we  are 
left  in  total  ignorance.  For  our  own  part,  so  far  from 
being  staggered  by  finding  mysteries  in  revelation, 
I  am  satisfied  that  the  entire  absence  of  them  would 
have  formed  a  much  stronger  ground  for  suspicion. 
All  analogy  excites  and  justifies  the  expectation  of 
them.  Nature,  in  its  various  departments,  is  full  of 
them ;  and  shall  we,  then,  account  it  strange,  that 
there  should  be  any  in  the  department  of  grace? 
They  abound  in  the  works  of  God ;  why,  then,  should 
we  not  wish  for  them  in  his  word  ?  They  present 
themselves  in  the  nature  and  constitution  of  every 
one  of  his  creatures  ;  and  is  it  to  be  conceived,  that 
in  his  own  nature  and  essence  nothing  of  the  kind 
should  be  found  ?  Is  it  reasonable  to  think  that  all 
should  be  plain  and  easily  comprehensible,  which 
6 


74'  THE  pastor's  request  for 

relates  to  God  himself,  and  that  inexplicable  difficul- 
ties should  embarrass  and  stop  our  researches,  only  in 
what  regards  his  creatures?  Ought  we  not  rather, 
on  such  a  subject,  to  anticipate  difficulties? — to  ex- 
pect to  feel  the  inadequacy  and  the  failure  of  our 
faculties  ? — and  to  expect  this,  with  a  certainty  pro- 
portioned to  the  superior  magnitude  of  the  subject 
above  all  others  that  can  engage  our  attention,  and 
its  complete  and  absolute  remoteness  from  the  sphere 
of  all  our  senses,  and  of  all  our  experience  ?  If  finite 
things  every  moment  confound  us,  we  ought  to  be 
surprised  at  finding  that  we  cannot  comprehend 
what  is  infinite  ?  Let  us  remember  the  apostolical 
lesson,  and  let  it  be  our  desire,  that  we  may  think, 
and  feel,  and  act,  on  all  subjects,  and  on  all  occasions, 
consistently  with  the  principle  and  spirit  of  it.  "  I 
say,  through  the  grace  given  to  me,  to  every  man 
that  is  among  you,  not  to  think  of  himself  more 
highly  than  he  ought  to  think,  but  to  think  soberly."* 
Before  we  dismiss  all  allusion  to  this  doctrine,  we 
must  venture  to  observe  that,  in  an  experimental 
and  practical  point  of  view,  it  is  a  truth  fraught  with 
the  richest  blessing  to  a  believing  mind.  The 
relation  which  it  sustains  to  our  spiritual  knowledge, 
happiness,  and  future  glory,  is  but  little  considered. 
It  is  to  the  Christian  the  key  of  the  Bible.  The 
Spirit  imparting  skill  to  use  it,  and  the  power,  w^hen 
used,  it  unlocks  this  divine  arcana  of  mysteries,  and 
throws  open  every  door  in  the  blest  sanctuary  of 
truth.     But  it  is  in  the  light  of  salvation  that  its 

*  Dr.  Wardlaw  on  the  Socinian  Controversy. 


THE    PRAYERS   OP    HIS   FLOCK.  75 

fitness  and  beauty  most  distinctly  appear — salvation 
in  which  Jehovah  appears  so  inimitably  glorious — 
so  like  Himself.  The  Father's  love  appears  in 
sending  his  Son — the  Son's  love  in  undertaking  the 
work — the  Holy  Spirit's  love  in  applying  the  work. 
Oh,  it  is  delightful  to  see  how,  in  working  out  the 
mighty  problem  of  man's  redemption,  the  Divine 
Three  were  thus  deeply  engaged  !  With  which  of 
these  could  we  have  dispensed  ?  All  were  needed — 
and  had  one  been  wanting,  our  salvation  had  been 
incomplete,  and  we  had  been  eternally  lost.  In  bring- 
ing to  glory  the  Church  they  thus  have  saved,  the 
sacred  Three  are  solemnly  pledged.  And  in  the 
matter  of  frayer^  how  sustaining  to  faith,  and  how 
soothing  to  the  mind,  w^hen  w^e  can  embrace,  in  our 
ascending  petitions,  the  blessed  Three  in  One ! 
"  For  through  him  (the  Son)  we  both  have  access 
by  one  Spirit  unto  the  Father." 

The  doctrine  of  the  Incarnation  presents  another 
gospel  mystery,  if  possible,  more  astonishing  than 
the  one  we  have  just  considered.  "We  can  more 
easily  understand  that  there  should  be  three  persons 
in  a  unity  of  subsistence,  than  that  G-od  sliould  he 
manifested  in  the  flesh.  The  analogy  of  the  one 
meets  us  everywhere ;  turn  we  the  eye  within  our- 
selves, or  turn  we  it  without  upon  the  broad  expanse 
of  God's  creation — from  every  point  of  observation, 
a  trinity  of  existence  bursts  upon  our  view.  But, 
of  the  other,  in  vain  we  search  for  anything  ap- 
proaching to  resemblance.  It  was  a  thing  so 
unheard  of  and  so  strange,  so  marvellous  and  so 


76  THE  pastor's  request  for 

unique, — that  there  was  nothing  in  the  sublime  or 
the  rude,  in  the  bold  or  the  tender  of  nature's 
varied  works,  to  prepare  the  mind  for,  or  awaken 
the  expectation  of,  a  phenomenon  so  strange,  so 
stupendous,  and  so  m^^sterious.'^  Is'ot  that  the 
possibility  of  such  an  event  astonishes  ns.  With 
Jehovah  all  things  are  possible.  "  Is  anything  too 
hard  for  me  ?"  is  a  question  that  would  seem  to 
rebuke  the  first  rising  of  such  an  emotion, — 

"A  God  allowed,  all  other  wonders  cease/' 

But  we  marvel  at  the  fact  itself.  Its  stupendousness 
amazes  us — its  condescension  humbles  us — its  glory 
dazzles  us — its  tenderness  subdues  us — its  love  over- 
powers us.  That  the  uncreated  Son  of  God  should 
become  the  created  Son  of  man  —  that  the  Eternal 
"Word  should  be  made  flesh  and  dwell  with  men  — 
that  he  should  assume  a  new  title,  entwining  in 
the  awful  letters  that  compose  his  divine  name, 
others    denoting    his    inferior   nature    as    man,    so 


*  We  do  not  overlook  the  fact  that  there  have  been  found  to 
exist  in  the  history  of  nations,  ideas  that  would  seem  analogous 
to  the  revealed  doctrine  of  the  incarnation.  For  instance,  the 
Pythagorean  doctrine  of  the  transmigration  of  souls  —  the 
Hindoo  idea  of  the  incarnation  of  Vishna,  and  other  examples 
which  might  be  adduced.  But  how  far  these  dim  and  vague 
notions  were  extraneous  from  sacred  tradition  would  be  a  nice 
and  interesting  question.  But  that  the  doctrine  of  the  incarna- 
tion of  the  Son  of  God  is  any  other  than  a  pure  and  express 
revelation,  no  true  believer  will  for  a  moment  question.  It  was 
a  secret  originating  and  enclosed  within  the  mind  of  JEHOVAn. 
He  only  could  reveal  it. 


THE    PRAYERS    OF   HIS    FLOCK.  77 

revealing  himself  as  JEHOVAH-Jesus !  0  wonder, 
surpassing  thought !  Before  this,  how  are  all 
others  infinitely  outshone :  their  lustre  fading 
away  and  disappearing  as  stars  hefore  the  advanc- 
ing light ! 

But  viewed  as  a  medium  of  the  most  costly  bles- 
sings to  the  church  of  God,  how  precious  a  mystery 
does  the  incarnation  of  our  Lord  appear  !  The  union 
of  the  divine  and  the  human  in  Immanuel,  is  the 
re-union  of  God  through  the  second  Adam  with  fallen 
man.  The  first  Adam  severed  us  from  the  Divine 
nature — the  second  Adam  re-unites  us.  The  incar- 
nation is  the  grand  link  between  these  two  extremes 
of  being.  It  forms  the  verdant  spot,  the  oasis  in  the 
desert,  of  a  ruined  universe,  on  which  God  and  the 
sinner  can  meet  together.  Here  are  blended,  in 
marvellous  union,  the  gloomy  clouds  of  human  w^oe, 
and  the  bright  beams  of  divine  glory — God  and  man 
united  !  And  will  you,  0  theist,  rob  me  of  this  truth, 
because  of  this  truth,  because  of  its  mystery  ?  Will 
you  yourself  reject  it,  because  reason  cannot  grasp 
it  ?  Then  might  I  rob  thee  of  thy  God,  (whom  you 
ignorantly  worship,)  because  of  his  incomprehensi- 
bleness,  not  one  attribute  of  whom  canst  thou 
understand  or  explain.  No  !  It  is  a  truth  too  pre- 
cious to  part  with  so  easily.  G-od  in  my  nature — my 
Goel — my  Brother  —  my  Friend — my  Counsellor — 
my  Guide  —  my  Redeemer  —  my  Pattern — my  all ! 
God  in  my  7iature — my  w^isdom,  my  righteousness, 
my  sanctification,  my  redemption  !  But  for  this 
heaven-descending  communication,  of  whicli  the 
6* 


78  THE  pastor's  request  for 

Patriarch's  ladder  was  the  symbol  and  the  type,  how 
could  the  holy  God  advance  towards  me,  or  I  draw 
near  to  him  ?  But  he  takes  my  nature  that  he  may 
descend  to  me,  and.  he  gives  me  his  nature  that  I 
may  ascend  to  him.  He  stoops  because  I  could  not 
rise  !  O  mystery  of  grace,  wisdom,  and  love  !  Shall 
I  doubt  it !  I  go  to  the  manger  of  Bethlehem,  and 
gaze  upon  the  infant  Saviour.  My  faith  is  staggered, 
and  I  exclaim,  "  Is  tJds  the  son  of  God  ?"  Eetiring, 
I  track  that  infant's  steps  along  its  future  path.  I 
mark  the  wisdom  that  he  displayed,  and  I  behold 
the  wonders  that  he  wrought.  I  mark  the  revelations 
that  he  disclosed,  the  doctrines  that  he  propounded, 
the  precepts  that  he  taught,  the  magnanimity  that  he 
displayed.  I  follow  him  to  Gethsemane,  to  the 
judgment-hall,  and  then  to  Calvary,  and  I  witness 
the  closing  scene  of  wonder.  I  return  to  Bethlehem, 
and  with  the  evidences  which  my  hesitating  faith 
has  thus  collected,  I  exclaim,  with  the  awe-struck 
and  believing  centurion,  ^'  Truly  this  is  the  Son  of 
God !"  All  the  mystery  of  his  lowly  incarnation 
vanishes,  and  my  adoring  soul  embraces  the  incarnate 
God  within  its  arms.  We  marvel  not  that,  hovering 
over  the  spot  where  this  great  mysterj^  of  godliness 
transpired,  the  celestial  choir,  in  the  stillness  of  the 
night,  awoke  such  strains  of  music  along  the  plains 
of  Bethlehem,  as  were  never  heard  before.  They  left 
the  realms  of  glory  to  escort  the  Lord  of  glory  in 
his  advent  to  our  earth.  How  gladly  they  trooped 
around  him,  thronging  his  wondrous  way,  their 
benevolent  bosoms  dilating  in  sympathy  with  the 


THE  PRAYERS  OF  HIS  FLOCK.  79 

grand  object  of  his  mission.  And  this  was  the 
angel's  message  to  the  astonished  shepherds  :  "Fear 
not :  for  behold  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great 
jo}',  which  shall  be  to  all  people.  For  unto  you  is 
born  this  day  in  the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour,  who 
is  Christ  the  Lord.  And  suddenly  there  was  with 
the  angel  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host,  praising 
God,  and  saying.  Glory  be  to  God  in  the  highest, 
and  on  earth  peace,  and  good-will  to  men."  Shall 
angels  rejoice  in  the  incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God, 
and  our  hearts  be  cold  and  unmoved  ?  Forbid  it, 
love,  forbid  it,  gratitude,  forbid  it,  0  my  soul ! 

The  mystical  union  of  Christ  aiid  his  Church  is  also 
declared  to  be  one  of  the  mysteries  of  the  gospel. 
"  This  is  a  great  m^^stery,"  says  the  apostle,  "  but  I 
speak  concerning  Christ  and  his  church."  That 
Christ  and  his  people  should  be  one  —  one  as  the 
head  and  the  body — the  vine  and  the  branch  —  the 
foundation  and  the  house  —  is  indeed  a  wondrous 
truth.  We  cannot  understand  how  it  is  ;  and  yet  so 
many,  palpable,  and  gracious  are  the  blessings  flow- 
ing from  it,  we  dare  not  reject  it.  All  that  a  believer 
is,  as  a  living  soul,  he  is  from  a  vital  union  with 
Christ.  As  the  body  w^ithout  the  soul  is  dead,  so  is 
a  sinner  morally  dead  without  union  to  Jesus.  IsTot 
only  his  life,  but  his  fruitful ness  is  derived  from  this 
source.  All  the  "  beauties  of  holiness"  that  adorn 
his  character,  spring  from  the  vital  principle  which 
his  engrafting  into  Christ  produces.  lie  is  skilful 
to  fight,  and  strong  to  overcome,  and  patient  to  en- 
dure, and  meek  to  sufi:er,  and  wise  to  walk,  as  he 


80  THE  pastor's  request  for 

lives  on  Christ  for  the  grace  of  sanctification. 
"  Without  me  ye  can  do  nothing.''  Is  it  not  indeed 
a  mystery  that  I  should  so  be  one  with  Christ,  that 
all  that  he  is  becomes  mine,  and  all  that  I  am 
becomes  his  ? — His  glory  mine,  my  humiliation  his. 
His  righteousness  mine,  my  guilt  his.  His  joy  mine 
my  sorrow  his.  Mine  his  riches,  his  my  poverty. 
Mine  his  life,  his  my  death.  Mine  his  heaven,  his 
my  hell.  The  daily  walk  of  faith  is  a  continuous 
development  of  the  wonders  of  this  wondrous  truth  : 
That  in  travelling  to  him  empty,  I  should  return 
from  him  fall.  That  in  going  to  him  weak,  I  should 
come  away  from  him  strong.  That  in  bending  my 
steps  to  him  in  all  darkness,  perplexity,  and  grief, 
I  should  retrace  them  all  light,  and  joy,  and  gladness. 
Why  marvel  at  this  mystery  of  the  life  of  faith  ?  My 
oneness  with  Jesus  explains  it. 

And  what  a  mystery  is  the  operation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  the  soul  I  That  a  work  so  renewing,  so 
gracious,  and  so  holy,  should  ever  transpire  in  the 
heart  of  a  poor  sinner,  is  itself  a  wonder.  What  a 
marvellous  view  of  the  power,  nor  less  of  the  grace 
of  God,  does  it  present !  Every  step  in  the  mighty 
process  awakens  new  amazement.  The  first  con- 
viction of  sin  that  saddens  the  heart — the  first  beam 
of  light  that  illuminates  the  mind  —  the  first  touch 
of  faith  that  heals  the  soul,  possesses  more  that  is 
truly  wonderful  than  the  sublimest  mystery,  or  the 
profoundest  secret,  in  nature.  There  is  more  of 
God  in  it:  and  the  more  of  God,  the  more  of  won- 


THE    PRAYERS   OF    HIS   FLOCK.  81 

der:  and  the  more  of  wonder  we  see  in  his  work 
and   operations,   the   more   readily   should   reason 
assent,  and  the  more  profoundly  should  faith  adore. 
The  mystery  of  grace  is  illustrated  by  the  mystery 
of  nature.     "  The  wind  hloweth  where  it  listeth, 
and  thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not 
tell  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth :  so  is 
every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit.''     I  saw  one  but 
as    yesterday   living   without   God,    and    in    total 
neglect    of    his    soul's     salvation.       The    solemn 
eternity  to  which  he  was  hastening,  gave  him  not  a 
moment's  serious  concern.      His   heart  was   filled 
with    Pharisaical     pride,    worldly    ambition,    and 
covetous  desires.     Self  was  his  God — the  only  deity 
he  worshipped  :  the  world  was  his  paradise — the  only 
heaven  he  desired.     To-day  I  see  him  the  subject 
of  deep  and  powerful  emotion ;  a  humble  suppliant, 
in  the  spirit  of  self-abasement,  pleading  for  merc}^ 
as  the  chief  of  sinners.     What  a  change  has  come 
over  him  !     How  in   a  moment  have  old   things 
passed  away,  and  all  things  become  new !     And  he 
who  but   as  yesterday  was   dwelling   among  the 
tombs,  himself  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  to-day  is 
sitting  as  a  lowly  disciple  and  an  adoring  worship- 
per at  the  feet  of  Jesus,     "Whence  this  wondrous 
transformation — this  new  creation  ?     Oh,  it  was  the 
Spirit  of  God  who  wrought  it,  and  the  work  is  mar- 
vellous in  our  eyes ! 

l^or  do  the  sustaining  and  the  carrj'ing  forward 
of  this  work  of  grace  in  the  soul  unfold  less  of  the 
wonderful  power  of  God  the  Holy  Spirit.     When 


82  THE  pastor's  request  for 

we  take  into  consideration  the  mass  whicli  the 
little  leaven  of  grace  has  to  transform  —  the  extent 
of  that  revolted  territory  which  the  new  kingdom 
has  to  subjugate  to  itself — then  the  sustaining  and 
the  perfecting  of  this  work  is  one  continued  miracle 
of  wonder.  To  see  one  strong  in  conscious  weak- 
ness— maintaining  his  position  in  the  face  of  much 
opposition —  buoyed  up  amidst  billows  of  sorrow  — 
growing  in  grace  in  the  midst  of  circumstances 
the  most  unfavourable  —  witnessing  for  God  and 
his  truth  at  the  loss  of  family  affection  and  long- 
endeared  friendship  —  is  a  spectacle  that  must  fill 
the  mind  with  adoring  thoughts  of  the  love  and 
faithfulness  and  power  of  that  divine  Spirit  whose 
work  it  is. 

There  are  other  doctrines  comprehended  in  the 
gospel  which  equally  come  under  the  denomination 
of  mysterious.  Such  is  the  doctrine  of  the  resur- 
rection of  the  body.  "Behold,"  says  the  apostle  in 
his  splendid  argument  on  this  subject,  "I  show  you 
a  r)iystery :  w^e  shall  not  all  sleep,  but  w^e  shall  all  be 
changed,  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye, 
at  the  last  trumpet ;  for  the  trumpet  shall  sound, 
and  the  dead  shall  be  raised  incorruptible,  and  we 
shall  be  changed."  And  yet  shall  it  be  thought  a 
thing  incredible  that  God  should  raise  the  dead  ? 
He  who  could  call  into  existence  that  which  w^as 
not,  shall  be  baffled  in  recalling  into  existence  that 
which  was?  Why,  then,  should  we  reject  the 
doctrine  of  the  resurrection,  because  the  process  of 


THE   PRAYERS   OF   HIS   FLOCK.  83 

resuscitating  the  identical  dead,  God  has  concealed 
in  profound  mystery? 

These  are  some  of  the  gospel  mysteries  which  the 
apostle  desired  to  make  known.  lie  admitted  that 
they  were  mysterious  —  mysteries  which  he  could 
not  fully  unravel.  It  was  enough  for  him  that  they 
were  so  revealed.  He  bowed  his  masculine  intel- 
lect to  the  truth:  and  what  his  mighty  reason 
could  not  comprehend,  his  humble  faith  implicitly 
and  gratefully  received.  We  may  learn  much  from 
this.  Let  no  minister  of  the  gospel  withhold  any 
part,  or  doctrine,  or  truth  of  God's  word,  because  it 
is  "hard  to  be  understood."  Our  functions  are 
limited.  We  are  but  the  expositors  of  what  God 
has  seen  most  consistent  with  his  glory  to  make 
known.  We  are  not  to  unloose  seals  which  he  has 
not  broken,  nor  attempt  to  ascribe  reasons  for  what 
he  has  seen  fit  to  conceal.  "  He  giveth  no  account 
of  any  of  his  matters."  All  revealed  truth  is 
unquahfiedly  to  be  declared.  The  doctrines  of 
grace^  towering  though  they  do  above  the  compre- 
hension of  carnal  reason,  and  humbling  though 
they  are  to  human  pride,  are  yet  fully  and  broadly 
to  be  stated.  "  Even  so.  Father ;  for  so  it  seem- 
eth  good  in  thy  sight,"  is  the  only  answer  we 
should  give  to  him  who  dareth  to  "  reply  against 
God."  O  for  grace  to  preach  as  God  has  command- 
ed ;  neither  taking  from,  nor  adding  to,  his  revealed 
word ! 

It  may  be  profitable  for  a  moment  to  contemplate 
tlie  spirit  in   which  the  apostle   desired  to   make 


84  THE  pastoe's  bequest  for 

known  this  mystery  of  the  gospel.  The  two 
blessings  which  he  craved  through  the  prayers  of 
his  flock  were,  utterance  and  boldness.  "  That 
utterance  may  be  given  unto  me,  that  I  may  open 
my  mouth  boldly  to  make  known  the  mystery  of 
the  gospel."  The  first  which  Paul  desired  was 
unfettered  utterance.  He  knew  that  He  who  made 
man's  mouth  could  only  open  his  lips  to  proclaim 
the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  Great  as  were 
his  natural  endowments,  and  rich  and  varied  as 
were  his  intellectual  acquirements,  he  felt  their  in- 
adequacy when  working  alone.  We  should  never 
fail  to  distinguish  between  the  natural  eloquence  of 
man,  and  the  holy  utterance  which  the  Spirit  gives. 
Paul  had  splendid  gifts,  and  commanding  powers 
of  elocution.  But  what  were  they  ?  He  needed 
more  —  he  asked  for  more.  Dear  reader,  if  the 
ministry  of  reconciliation  comes  to  your  soul  with 
any  power  or  sweetness,  remember  whose  it  is. 
Give  not  to  man,  but  to  God,  the  glory.  Be  very 
jealous  for  the  honour  of  the  Spirit  in  the  ministry 
of  the  word.  It  is  "  spirit  and  life"  to  you  only  as 
he  gives  utterance  to  him  that  speaketh.  It  is 
mournful  to  observe  to  what  extent  the  idolatry  of 
human  talent  and  eloquence  is  carried,  and  how 
little  glory  is  given  to  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  gospel 
ministry.  But  there  was  yet  another  ministerial 
qualification  which  Paul  sought.  He  desired  to  be 
unshackled  from  the  fear  of  man :  "  That  I  may 
open  my  mouth  boldly.''  Had  we  heard  him  utter 
this  r(>quopt,   wo  might  have   been  constrained  to 


THE  PnAYimS  OF  HIS  FLOCK.  85 

reply,  "  Do  you  desire  bolduess  ?  You  are  the  most 
coiirngeous  aud  intrepid  of  the  apostles.  You  fear 
no  man."  Ah !  we  forget  that  when  God  stirs  up 
the  heart  of  a  believer  deeply  to  feel  his  need,  and 
earnestly  to  desire  any  particular  grace  of  the 
Spirit,  that  grace  will  be  the  distinguishing  trait  of 
his  Christian  character.  The  very  possession  and 
exercise  of  a  grace  strengthen  the  desire  for  its 
increase.  The  more  we  have  of  Christ,  the  more 
we  desire  of  Christ.  The  heart  is  never  satiated. 
Do  we  see  a  man  earnest  and  importunate  in  prayer 
for  faith?  faith  will  be  his  distinguishing  grace. 
See  we  another  wrestling  with  God  for  deep  views 
of  the  evil  of  sin  ?  that  man  will  be  marked  for 
his  liumble  walk  with  God.  Is  it  love  that  he 
desires  ?  his  will  be  a  loving  spirit.  Be  sure  of  this 
— the  more  you  know  of  the  value  and  the  sweet- 
ness of  any  single  grace  of  the  Spirit,  the  more 
ardently  will  your  heart  be  led  out  after  an  increase 
of  that  grace.  The  reason  why  our  desires  for 
grace  are  so  faint,  may  be  traced  to  the  small 
measure  of  grace  that  we  already  possess.  The 
very  feebleness  of  the  desire  proves  the  littleness 
of  the  supply.  As  all  holy  desire  springs  from 
grace,  so  the  deeper  the  grace  the  more  fervent  will 
be  the  desire.  The  Lord  rouse  us  from  our  slothful 
seeking  of  him  upon  our  beds ! 

Here,  then,  is  the  apostle  desiring  boldness :  yet 
who  so  bold  in  preaching  Jesus  as  he  ?     It  was  the 
master-spirit — the  distinguishing  trait  of  his  minis- 
try.    At  the  very  commencement  of  his  Christian 
8 


86  THE  pastor's  request  for 

career,  when  even  the  disciples  stood  in  doubt  of 
him,  we  find  him  "speaking  boldly  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus."  Acts  ix.  29.  The  down  was 
scarcely  upon  his  wing,  yet  see  how  the  eaglet 
soars !  What  promise  of  bolder  flight  and  of 
fiercer  intrepidity  !  One  can  almost  see  the  white- 
haired  martyr  in  the  Christian  stripling.  But  just 
freed  from  the  chain  of  Satan,  we  yet  see  at  once 
the  future  character  of  the  man  —  the  fearless 
apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  His  boldness  never  forsook 
him.  His  moral  courage  never  failed  him.  He 
was  never  awed  into  silence  by  superior  rank,  nor 
brow-beaten  into  cowardice  by  vulgar  threatening. 
Flattery  never  seduced,  danger  never  alarmed  him. 
Whether  a  friend  or  criminal,  fidelity  and  fear- 
lessness were  his  strong  characteristics.  Whether 
among  the  polished  or  the  rude,  the  lettered  sceptics 
of  Athens  or  the  ignorant  barbarians  of  Malta,  he 
was  the  same ;  a  dignified  and  graceful,  but  bold 
and  uncompromising  preacher  of  Jesus  Christ. 
And  yet  this  was  the  man  who  now  was  entreating 
the  prayers  of  God's  people,  that  he  might  with 
freedom  of  utterance  and  undaunted  boldness  make 
known  the  mystery  of  the  gospel ! 

And  who  should  be  bold  if  not  the  ministers  of 
the  gospel  ?  How  can  they  be  faithful  and  efficient 
preachers  of  the  truth,  if  awed  by  a  corrupt  public 
sentiment,  or  fettered  by  a  pusillanimous  fear  of 
man  ?  How  much  is  the  glory  of  the  truth  shaded, 
and  its  power  impaired,  and  the  dignity  of  their 
office  compromised,  by  the  man-pleasing,  nian-fear- 


THE    PRAYERS    OF  HIS   FLOCK.  87 

ing  spirit  which,  alas,  so  much  prevails  !  We  meet 
with  boldness  everywhere :  Satan  is  bold  in  his  onset 
upon  the  church  of  Christ.  Sin  is  bold  in  develop- 
ing its  dark  designs.  Error  is  bold  in  its  attacks 
upon  truth.  Men  are  bold  in  disseminating  soul- 
destroying  doctrines,  and  in  following  corrupt  and 
superstitious  practices.  The  whole  kingdom  of 
darkness  and  of  sin  is  moving  on  to  the  coming 
battle  with  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  with  a  boldness 
of  enterprise  and  of  attack  w^hich  fills  the  mind  with 
awe  and  wonder.  And  is  the  ministry  of  reconcili- 
ation, of  truth  and  of  holiness  to  be  the  only  excep- 
tion ?  "  Is  it  at  all  congruous  that  men  should  have 
boldness  enough  to  declare  their  sins,  to  speak  them, 
to  proclaim  them,  to  wear  them,  to  glory  in  them ; 
and  that  those  officers  who  are  sent  for  no  other 
business  but,  in  the  name  and  authority  of  Al- 
mighty God,  to  fight  against  the  corruptions  of  the 
world,  should,  in  the  mean  time,  hang  down  the 
head  and  be  tongue-tied?  that  men  should  have 
more  boldness  to  destroy  themselves,  and  to  do 
Satan's  work,  than  w^e  to  save  them,  or  to  serve 
God  ?  1^0  !  it  is  not  congruous  that  men  should  be 
bold  and  fearless  in  sinning  against  God,  and  in 
plunging  into  hell ;  and  that  those  who  are  sent  to 
warn,  and  to  expostulate,  and  to  save,  shall  be  time- 
serving, man-pleasing,  and  cowardly  in  the  dis- 
charge of  their  high  and  solemn  trust." 

And  was  ever  boldness  a  more  needed  qualification 
of  the  Christian  ministry  than  now  ?  Error  is  ram- 
pant— the  truth  is    assailed    on  every  side  —  the 


88  THE   PASTOE  S   REQUEST   FOR 

enemy  is  coming  in  like  a  flood  — the  ancient  land- 
marks are  removed  —  false  teachers  are  beguiling 
souls — men  who  "seemed  to  be  pillars"  are  as 
reeds  shaken  by  the  wind  —  and  but  few  preach  a 
whole  gospel  and  a  full  Christ.  Yerily,  never  were 
holy  intrepidity  and  nncompromising  fearlessness, 
in  contending  earnestly  for  the  faith,  more  urgently 
demanded  than  at  the  present  moment ! 

We  have  now  reached,  perhaps  by  a  too  lengthy 
discussion,  the  specific  subject  of  this  chapter:  one, 
it  must  be  admitted,  of  universal  interest  and  of  high 
importance,  yet  not  often  brought  before  the  Chris- 
tian church.  We  allude  to  the  necessity  of  prayer  in 
behalf  of  the  Christian  pastor.  It  was  through  this 
channel  the  Apostle  sought  the  ministerial  fitness 
which  he  craved :  "  Praying  always  with  all  prayer 
and  supplication  in  the  Spirit,  and  for  me.''  ISTot  in 
this  instance  only  does  he  cast  himself  upon  the 
intercessions  of  the  saints.  Thus  he  writes  to  the 
church  at  Rome :  "  Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren, 
for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  sake,  and  for  the  love  of 
the  Spirit,  that  ye  strive  together  with  me  in  your 
prayers  to  God  for  me''  And  then  he  proceeds  to 
specify  the  petitions  he  would  have  them  make  on 
his  behalf,  Rom.  xv.  30.  In  2  Corinthians  i.  11,  he 
again  pleads,  "Ye  also  helping  together  hy  grayer 
for  us."  In  Phihppians  i.  19:  "For  I  know  that 
this  shall  turn  to  my  salvation  through  your  prayer^ 
and  the  supply  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ."  In 
Colos.  iv.  3,  "  Withal  praying  also  for  ics,  that  God 
would  open  unto  us  a  door  of  utterance  to  speak  the 


THE   PRAYERS   OF  HIS   FLOCK.  80 

mystery  of  Christ."  How  significant  is  this  lan- 
guage, and  how  touching  are  these  appeals !  The 
solemn  earnestness  which  is  here  hetrayed,  is  no 
expression  of  feeling  exaggerated  heyond  the  import- 
ance of  the  object  eliciting  it.  There  are  many 
weighty  and  solemn  considerations,  to  a  few  of 
which  we  may  allude,  which  powerfully  plead  for 
the  prayers  of  the  church  of  God  in  behalf  of  her 
ministers  and  pastors.  The  first  which  may  be 
adduced  is  — 

The  magnitude  of  their  work.  A  greater  work  than 
theirs  was  never  entrusted  to  mortal  hands,  '^o 
angel  employed  in  the  celestial  embassy  bears  a 
commission  of  higher  authorit}^,  or  wings  his  way 
to  discharge  a  duty  of  such  extraordinary  greatness 
and  responsibility.  He  is  a  minister  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  —  an  ambassador  from  the  court  of 
heaven  —  a  preacher  of  the  glorious  gospel  of  the 
blessed  God — a  steward  of  the  mysteries  of  the  king- 
dom. Properly  to  fill  this  high  office  —  giving  to 
the  household  their  portion  of  meat  in  due  season — 
going  down  into  the  mine  of  God's  word,  and  bring- 
ing forth  to  the  view  of  every  understanding  its  hid- 
den treasures  —  to  set  forth  the  glory  of  Immanuel, 
the  fitness  of  his  work,  and  the  fulness  of  his  grace 
— to  be  a  scribe  well  instructed,  "  rightly  dividing 
the  word  of  truth," — to  be  wise  and  skilful  to  win 
souls,  the  grand  end  of  the  Christian  ministry — oh, 
who  so  much  needs  the  sustaining  prayers  of  the 
church  as  the  Ministers  of  the  Christian  church  ? 
8* 


90  THE  pastor's  request  for 

Secondly.  The  gainful  sense  of  their  insufficiency 
supplies  another  affecting  plea.  For  an  office  so 
high,  how  unworthy  do  they  at  times  feel,  and  how 
imperfectly  furnished  with  grace  and  gift  for  a  work 
which 

"  Might  fill  an  angel's  hands, 
Which  filled  the  Saviour's  heart," 

do  they  appear  to  themselves  to  be  !  Who  are  min- 
isters of  Christ  ?  Are  they  angels  ?  Are  they  super- 
human beings  ?  Are  they  inspired  ?  'Nay,  thej  are 
men  in  all  respects  like  others.  They  partake  of 
like  infirmities,  are  the  subjects  of  like  assaults,  and 
are  estranged  from  nothing  that  is  human.  As  the 
heart  knoweth  its  own  bitterness,  so  they  only  are 
truly  aware  of  the  existence  and  incessant  operation 
of  those  many  and  clinging  weaknesses  of  which 
they  partake  in  sympathy  with  others.  And  yet  God 
has  devolved  upon  them  a  work  which  would  crush 
an  angel's  power  if  left  to  his  self-sustaining  energy. 
Oppressed  often  to  the  very  earth  with  the  con- 
sciousness of  this,  is  it  incongruous  with  a  pastor's 
dignity  and  character  that  he  should  still  acknow- 
ledge his  dependence  upon  the  prayers  of  the  fee- 
blest member  of  his  flock  ? 

Thirdly.  The  many  and  peculiar  trials  of  the  min- 
istry  and  the  pastoj^ate  ask  this  favour  at  our  hands. 
These  are  peculiar  to,  and  inseparable  from,  the 
office  that  he  fills.  In  addition  to  those  of  which 
he  partakes  alike  with  other  Christians  —  personal, 
domestic,  and  relative  —  there  are  trials   to  which 


THE   PRAYERS   OP   HIS   FLOCK.  91 

they  must  necessarily  be  utter  strangers.  And  as 
they  are  unknown  to,  so  are  they  unrelievable  by, 
the  people  of  their  charge.  "With  all  the  sweetness 
of  affection,  and  the  tenderness  of  sympathy,  and 
the  delicacy  of  attention,  w^hich  you  tender  to  your 
pastor,  there  is  yet  a  lack  which  Jesus  only  can 
supply,  and  which,  through  the  channel  of  your 
prayers,  he  ^vill  supply.  In  addition  to  his  own,  he 
bears  the  burthens  of  others.  How  impossible 
for  an  affectionate,  sympathizing  pastor  to  sepa- 
rate himself  from  the  circumstances  of  his  flock,  be 
those  circumstances  what  they  may  !  So  close  and 
so  sympathetic  is  the  bond  of  union, — if  they  suffer, 
he  mourns ;  if  they  are  afflicted,  he  w^eeps ;  if  they 
are  dishonoured,  he  is  reproached;  if  they  rejoice, 
he  is  glad.  He  is  one  w-ith  his  church.  How  feel- 
ingly the  apostle  expresses  this !  "  Besides  those 
things  that  are  without,  that  which  cometh  upon 
me  daily,  the  care  of  all  the  churches.  Who  is  weak, 
and  I  am  not  weak?  who  is  offended,  and  I  burn 
not?"  To  see  a  Christian  pastor,  in  addition  to 
his  own  personal  grief,  borne  often  in  uncomplain- 
ing loneliness  and  silence,  yet  bowed  down  under 
accumulated  sorrow^s  not  his  own  —  others  looking: 
to  him  for  sympathy,  for  comfort,  and  for  counsel, 
is  a  spectacle  which  might  well  arouse  in  behalf  of 
every  Christian  pastor,  the  slumbering  spirit  of 
prayer.  We  marvel  not  to  hear  the  chief  of  the  apos- 
tles thus  pleading,  "Brethren  pray  for  us." 

Fourthly.      Your  own  j^f^'^^sonal  i^rofit   through  his 
ministrations  lays  you  under  the  deepest  and  most 


92  THE  pastor's  request  for 

solemn  obligation  to  give  your  pastor,  in  return,  an 
especial  and  constant  interest  in  your  interces- 
sions at  the  mercy-seat.  Paul  could  say  to  the  Phil- 
ippians,  "  Ye  are  partakers  of  my  grace."  Most  true 
is  it,  that  in  the  grace  bestowed  by  God  upon  a 
Christian  pastor,  all  the  members  of  the  flock  share. 
They  partake  of  that  which  belongs  to  him.  All 
the  grace  with  which  he  is  enriched  —  all  the  gifts 
with  which  he  is  endowed  —  all  the  acquirements 
with  which  he  is  furnished  —  all  the  afflictions  with 
which  he  is  visited — all  the  comforts  with  which  he 
is  soothed — all  the  strength  with  which  he  is  upheld 
—  all  the  distinction  and  renown  with  which  he  is 
adorned  —  belong  alike  to  the  church  over  which 
God  has  made  him  an  overseer.  There  is  in  the  pas- 
toral relation  a  community  of  interest.  He  holds 
that  grace,  and  he  exercises  those  gifts,  not  on  ac- 
count of  his  own  personal  holiness  and  happiness 
merely,  but  w^ith  a  view  to  your  holiness  and  happi- 
ness. You  are  partakers  with  him.  You  are  en- 
riched by  his  '  fatness '  or  are  impoverished  by  his 
leanness.'  The  degree  of  his  grace  will  be  the  mea- 
sure of  your  own.  The  amount  of  his  intelligence, 
the  extent  of  3X)urs.  As  he  is  taught  and  blessed 
by  Christ,  so  will  you  be.  The  glory  which  he  gath- 
ers in  communion  with  God  will  irradiate  you :  the 
grace  which  he  draws  from  Jesus  will  sanctify  you ; 
the  wealth  which  he  collects  from  the  study  of  the 
Bible  will  enrich  you.  Thus,  in  all  things,  are  you 
"partakers  of  his  grace."  How  important,  then, 
that  on  all  occasions  he  should  be  a  partaker  of 


THE  PRAYERS  OF  HIS  FLOCK.         93 

your  prayers  !  Thus  your  own  best  interests  are  his 
strongest  plea.  Your  profit  by  him  will  be  propor- 
tioned to  your  prayer  for  him. 

To  the  neglect  of  this  important  duty,  much  of 
the  barrenness  complained  of  in  hearing  the  word 
may  be  traced.  You  have,  perhaps,  been  wont  to 
retire  from  God's  house,  cavilling  at  the  doctrine, 
dissecting  the  sermon  in  a  spirit  of  captious  criti- 
cism, sitting  in  judgment  upon  the  matter  or  the 
manner  of  the  preacher,  and  bitterly  complaining  of 
the  unprofitableness  of  the  preaching.  With  all 
tender  faithfulness  would  we  lay  the  question  upon 
your  conscience.  — How  much  do  you  pray  for  your 
minister?  We  repeat  the  interrogation  more  em- 
phatically,—  Hoiv  much  do  you  pray  for  your  minis- 
ter f  Here,  in  all  probability,  lies  the  secret  of  the 
great  evil  which  you  deplore.  You  have  com- 
plained of  your  minister  to  others  —  (alas  !  how  often, 
and  how  bitterly,  to  your  deep  humiliation  be  it 
spoken)  —  have  you  complained  of  him  to  the  Lord  ? 
And  have  you  ever  seriously  pondered  the  fact,  that 
your  soul's  barrenness  under  the  preached  word  ^ 
of  which  you  seem  in  some  degree  aware  —  may,  in 
a  great  degree,  be  traceable  to  yourself  1.  The  sur- 
mise, perhaps,  startles  you.  The  thought  may  never 
have  occurred  to  your  mind  before.  ISTew  and 
strange  though  it  may  be,  it  is  yet  worthy  of  your 
profoundest  consideration.  Have  you  never  serious- 
ly reflected  how  closely  allied  may  be  the  deficiency 
in  the  pulpit,  of  which  you  complain,  to  your  own 
deficiency  in  the  closet,  of  which  you  have  not  been 


94  THE  pastor's  request  for 

aware?  You  have  restrained  prayer  in  belialf  of 
your  pastor.  You  have  neglected  to  remember  in 
especial,  fervent  intercession  with  the  Lord,  the  in- 
strument on  whom  your  advancement  in  the  divine 
life  so  much  depends.  You  have  looked  up  to  him 
as  a  channel  of  grace,  but  you  have  failed  to  ask  at 
the  hands  of  Jesus  that  grace  of  which  he  is  hut  the 
channel.  You  have  waited  upon  his  ministrations 
for  instruction  and  comfort,  but  you  have  neglected 
to  beseech  for  him  that  teaching  and  anointing  by 
which  alone  he  could  possibly  establish  you  in  truth, 
or  console  you  in  sorrow.  You  have  perhaps  ob- 
served a  poverty  of  thought,  and  have  been  sensible 
of  a  lack  of  power  in  his  ministrations,  but  you  have 
not  traced  it  in  part  to  your  own  poverty  and  lack 
in  the  spirit  and  habit  of  prayer  in  his  behalf.  You 
have  marvelled  and  lamented  the  absence  of  sympa- 
thy and  feeling  and  tenderness,  in  the  discharge  of 
his  pastoral  duties,  but  you  have  forgotten  to  sym- 
pathize with  the  high  responsibilities,  and  oppres- 
sive anxieties,  and  bewildering  engagements,  in- 
separable from  the  office  which  your  pastor  fills,  and 
in  which  he  may  largely  share,  often  "  pressed  out 
of  measure,  above  strength,  insomuch  that  he  may 
despair  even  of  life."  Thus  in  a  great  degree  the 
cause  of  an  unprofitable  hearing  of  the  word  may 
be  found  nearer  at  home  than  was  suspected.  There 
has  been  a  suspension  of  sympathy  on  your  part, 
and  God  has  permitted  a  suspension  of  sympathy  on 
his. 

"If  a  man  could,  when  he  enters  God's  house,'* 


THE    PRAYERS    OF   HIS   FLOCK.  95 

to  quote  an  apposite  remark  of  the  godly  Bishop 
Reynolds,  "but  pour  out  his  heart  in  these  two 
things  —  a  promise  and  a  prayer,  —  'Lord,  I  am 
now  entering  into  thy  presence,  to  hear  thee  speak 
from  heaven  unto  me,  to  receive  thy  rain  and 
spiritual  dew,  which  never  returneth  in  vain,  but 
ripeneth  a  harvest  either  of  corn  or  weeds,  of  grace 
or  judgment.  My  heart  is  prepared,  0  Lord,  my 
heart  is  prepared,  to  learn  and  love  any  of  thy 
words.  Thy  law  is  my  counsellor,  I  will  be  ruled 
by  it ;  it  is  my  physician,  I  will  be  patient  under  it ; 
it  is  my  schoolmaster,  I  will  be  obedient  unto  it. 
But  who  am  I  that  I  should  promise  any  service 
unto  thee  ?  and  who  is  thy  minister,  that  he  should 
do  any  good  unto  me,  without  thy  grace  and 
heavenly  call  ?  Be  thou,  therefore,  pleased  to  reveal 
thine  own  Spirit  unto  me,  and  to  w^ork  in  me  that 
which  thou  requirest  of  me.'  I  say,  if  a  man 
could  come  with  such  sweet  preparations  of  heart 
unto  the  word,  and  could  thus  open  his  soul  when 
this  spiritual  manna  falls  down  from  heaven,  he 
should  find  the  truth  of  that  which  the  Apostle 
s^^eaketh.  '  Ye  are  not  straitened  in  us,  (or  in  our 
ministry,)  we  come  unto  you  with  abundance  of 
grace ;  but  ye  are  straitened  only  in  your  own 
bowels,  in  the  hardness,  unbelief,  incapacity,  and 
negligence  of  your  own  hearts,  which  receiveth  that 
in  drops  w^hich  falleth  down  in  showers.'  We 
exhort  the  people  to  pray  for  their  ministers,  since 
they  have  a  service  upon  them  which,  without 
divine  grace,  none  are  sufficent  for,  that  God  would 


96  THE  pastor's  request  for 

by  his  special  assistance,  enable  them  to  discharge 
so  great  a  trust.  God  commands  it;  we  beseech 
it ;  our  weakness  courts  it ;  your  souls  require  it. 
The  more  you  pray  for  your  minister,  the  more  you 
will  profit  by  him.  You  help  to  edify  yourselves  ; 
you  help  him  to  study,  and  pray,  and  preach  for  you, 
while  you  pray  for  him." 

Oh  ye  flocks  of  the  Lord,  ye  churches  of  Christ, 
ye  saints  of  the  Most  High,  fray^  pray  for  your 
ministers  !  ISTo  one  more  deeply  needs,  no  one  more 
affectingly  asks  your  prayers  than  he.  For  you  he 
toils  in  the  study,  wrestles  in  the  closet,  and  labours 
in  the  pulpit.  For  your  best  welfare  he  consecrates 
his  youthful  vigour,  his  mature  experience,  his  de- 
clining years.  To  you  he  has  been  the  channel  of 
untold  blessing.  Often  has  the  Lord  spoken  through 
him  to  your  oppressed  heart,  thoughts  of  peace  and 
words  of  love.  He  has  often  been  instrumental  in 
removing  doubt  from  your  mind,  in  clearing  up 
points  of  truth  that  were  hard  to  be  understood,  and 
in  building  you  up  on  your  most  holy  faith.  Often, 
too,  has  he  been  the  means  of  endearing  Christ  to 
you,  leading  you  to  him  as  a  Counsellor,  as  a 
Brother,  as  a  Friend,  and  as  a  Redeemer,  thus  un- 
veiling his  glory  to  your  eye,  and  his  preciousness 
to  your  heart.  Perhaps  he  first  told  you  of  Jesus  ! 
From  his  lips  you  heard  the  life-giving  sound  of  the 
gospel ;  by  him  you  were  wounded,  by  him  you  were 
healed,  and  by  his  hands  you  were  received  within 
the  pale  of  the  visible  church.  Oh,  then,  is  it  an 
unreasonable   request  that  he   should   ask  especial 


THE    PRAYERS   OF    HIS   FLOCK.  97 

remembrance  in  the  petitions  which  you  breathe  to 
God  for  "  all  the  saints  ?"  Think  how  often  you  have 
filled  his  mind  with  thoughtfulness,  his  heart  with 
anxiety,  his  eyes  with  tears,  his  mouth  with  holy 
and  fervent  pleadings  at  the  throne  of  grace.  Then, 
will  you  not  continue  to  pray  for  your  pastor? 
Gratitude  demands  it.  Remember  him  not  in  your 
petitions  on  ordinary  occasions  merely,  but  let  there 
be  especial  seasons  of  prayer  set  apart  for  him  alone. 
Particularly  if  you  know  him  to  be  passing  through  a 
season  of  trial,  or  sorrow,  or  mental  anxiety,  take 
him  constantly  and  especially  to  the  Lord.  You  need 
not  know  the  cause  of  that  sorrow.  Proper  feelings 
dictating,  you  will  not  wish  to  know.  It  will  be 
enough  for  you  that  with  delicacy  of  perception  you 
have  seen  the  shade  of  sadness  on  his  brow ;  the  look 
of  anxiety  in  his  eye ;  the  expression  of  deep  thought- 
fulness  upon  his  countenance ;  you  will  instantly  take 
him  in  your  heart  to  the  Lord.  And  oh  !  who  can  un- 
fold the  extent  of  the  blessing  which  your  prayers  may 
thus  be  the  channel  of  convejdng  to  his  soul  ?  You 
may  deem  yourself,  my  reader,  but  an  insignificant 
member  of  the  flock.  The  grace  which  the  Lord 
has  given  you  may  constrain  you  to  think  meanly 
of  yourself,  and  to  retire  into  the  shade  ;  but  mean 
and  feeble  though  you  may  be  in  your  own  eyes, 
yet  you  have  power  with  God  in  prayer.  See  you 
yon  little  cloud  sailing  athwart  that  blue  sky  ?  It 
has  absorbed  its  precious  treasures  from  some  hidden 
spring,  and,  guided  by  God's  invisible  hand,  is  going 
to  unbosom  itself  upon  some  parched  and  thirsty 
9 


98  THE  pastor's  request,  etc. 

spot,  refreshing,  gladdening,  and  fruetifying  it.  The 
little  rivulet,  that  flows  noiseless  and  unseen  from 
that  shaded  spot,  has  thus  transmitted  from  its 
sequestered  glen  an  influence  felt  far  beyond  it,  and 
to  an  extent  it  never  conceived  and  never  can  know. 
Such,  dear  reader,  may  be  the  character  and  such 
the  results  of  your  intercessions  in  behalf  of  your 
pastor.  Silver  and  gold  you  have  none  to  ofier  him. 
He  asks  not  this  at  your  hands.  But  jour  prai/ers 
you  may  give,  and  ^our  prayers  he  does  ask.  He 
beseeches  you,  earnestly  and  afiectingly,  for  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ's  sake,  and  for  the  love  of  the  Spirit, 
that  you  strive  in  your  prayers  to  G-odfor  him.  And 
oh  !  the  hallowing,  gladdening  influence  which  those 
prayers  may  shed  upon  his  mind  —  eternity  alone 
can  reveal !  The  return  of  blessing  to  yourself  will 
be  incalculable  and  immense.  The  moisture  absorbed 
from  the  earth  returns  again  to  the  earth  in  grateful 
and  refreshing  showers.  And  thus  every  prayer 
which  you  in  fervency  and  in  faith  breathe  to  heaven 
for  your  pastor,  will,  through  him,  return  again  in 
'  showers  of  blessing'  upon  your  own  soul. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A  WORD  IN   SEASON  FROM  CHRIST  TO 
THE  WEARY. 

"  The  Lord  God  hath  given  me  the  tongue  of  the  learned,  that  I 
should  know  how  to  speak  a  word  in  season  to  him  that  is  weary." — 
ISA.  1.  4. 

A  GREATER  thaii  the  prophet  Isaiah  is  here.  It  is 
even  He  who,  alkiding  to  his  office  as  the  sei^ant 
of  the  Father,  and  the  consequent  humihation  of 
that  servitude,  thus  speaks — "  The  Lord  God  hath 
opened  my  ear,  and  I  was  not  rebehious,  neither 
turned  away  back.  I  gave  my  back  to  the  smiters, 
and  my  cheeks  to  them  that  plucked  off  the  hair. 
I  hid  not  my  face  from  shame  and  spitting."  Who, 
then,  is  the  speaker  but  Jesus  ?  To  no  other  will 
this  remarkable  description  apply,  and  from  no 
other  could  such  precious  words  proceed.  How 
full  of  significance  and  sweetness  are  they  !  With 
what  melody  will  they  fall  on  many  an  ear,  and 
with  what  gladness  will  they  thrill  through  many  a 
heart !  They  are  addressed  to  the  weary.  Let  us 
contemplate  the  character. 

It  comprises  a  large  class.  Many  there  are  who 
come  within  its  description.  All  may  not  ascribe 
their  weariness  to  the  same  cause,  nor  may  all  to 

(99) 


100  A   WORD   IN   SEASON   FROM 

the  same  des-ree  be  sensible  of  their  state.  Yet  all 
are  weary.  Man  is  not  naturally  in  his  original  and 
right  position.  The  needle  of  his  soul  has  been 
diverted  from  its  centre,  and,  until  it  regains  it, 
will  continue  in  incessant  and  tremulous  motion — 
never  at  rest.  To  illustrate  the  thought  by  another 
figure.  He  v^ho  quits  his  mother  earth  and 
launches  upon  the  sea,  must  submit  to  all  the 
caprices  of  the  new  element  on  which  he  has 
embarked.  He  becomes  the  sport  of  every  current, 
aud  the  plaything  of  every  wave.  Life  is  this  sea, 
ever  moving,  ever  restless,  ever  flowing  on.  Upon 
its  bosom,  and  exposed  to  its  currents  and  its 
storms,  man  is  voyaging  to  eternity.  And  that, 
thus  exposed  to  its  ever  fluctuating,  shifting  scenes, 
habits,  and  passions,  he  should  be  weary,  can  create 
no  surprise  in  a  reflecting  mind.  The  world  is  a 
wearying  and  a  weary  world. 

We  will  suppose  ourselves  appealing  for  the  truth 
of  this  statement  to  the  world's  most  admiring  and 
devoted  votary.  It  has  lavished  upon  you  the 
utmost  that  it  can  give.  You  have  ransacked  its 
treasures,  and  have  revelled  among  his  sweets. 
What  have  you  found  it  to  be?  You  have  no 
scriptural  hope  of  another  and  a  better  world  — 
what  is  the  result  of  your  experience  of  this  ?  Did 
that  green  and  sunny  spot  on  which  you  la}^  afford 
you  repose?  Did  that  pleasant  draught  which  you 
quaffed,  slake  your  thirst  ?  Have  rank  and  wealth, 
honour  and  distinction,  pride  and  beauty,  love  and 
friendship,  realized  the  heart's  fond  hope,  and  placed 


.  CHRIST   TO   THE   WEARY.  101 

you  beyond  the  reach  of  weariness !  Have  they 
left  you  nothing  to  wish,  nothing  to  desire,  nothing 
to  lament  ?  Is  there  no  heaving  of  life's  sea  —  no 
ripple  upon  its  surface — no  trembling  of  its  bosom  ? 
Is  all  satisfaction,  and  quietude,  and  repose  ?  We 
will  anticipate  your  honest  reply  —  Far  from  it. 
There  are  yet  a  craving  and  a  restlessness  which 
nothing  has  met.  So  true  is  God's  word,  "The 
wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea,  when  it  cannot 
rest."  And  so  will  it  be  until  the  creature  man 
returns  to  his  Creator  God. 

But  not  in  the  world  of  sense  only  do  you  complain 
of  weariness.  What  rest,  we  would  ask,  have  you 
found  in  the  world  of  faith  !  Again  the  reluctant 
and  mournful  reply  will  be  —  None.  Least  of  all 
have  you  found  it  here.  If  the  carnal  mind  and 
sensual  heart  found  not  satiety  and  repose  in  their 
own  native  world,  they  cannot  be  expected  to  find 
it  in  a  world  with  which  they  have  not  the  slightest 
sympathy.  The  world  of  faith  is  a  foreign  clime  to 
the  natural  man ;  it  is  the  antipodes  of  the  world 
of  sense.  He  that  would  pass  from  the  one  to  the 
other  must  become  a  "new  creature  in  Christ 
Jesus."  There  must  be  an  entire  revolution  of 
mind  and  of  feeling.  Old  things  must  pass  away, 
and  all  things  must  become  new.  The  moral 
constitution  must  be  acclimated  (so  to  speak)  to  the 
new  world  into  which  it  is  introduced.  It  cannot 
breathe  its  atmosphere,  nor  admire  its  scenery,  nor 
enjoy  its  delights,  nor  participate  in  its  employments 
without  a  corresponding  nature.  It  is  impossible  that 
9* 


102  A   WORD   IN    SEASON   FROM 

rest  can  be  found  in  things  that  are  spiritual,  by  a 
heart  all  whose  desires  and  appetites  are  carnal  and 
only  carnal.  Heaven  itself  would  to  such  a  one 
cease  to  be  heaven.  How  truly  and  graphically  the 
prophet  describes  this  state ; — "  Ye  said  also,  Behold 
what  a  weariness  is  it !  and  ye  have  snuffed  at  it, 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."  (Mai.  i.  13.)  Is  there  not 
something  peculiarly  awful  in  this  description  of 
your  state  ?  "What  a  weariness  do  you  find  in  the 
religion  of  Christ !  Of  'prayer  you  exclaim,  "What 
a  weariness!"  Oi  public  ?«;ors7i2p,  "  What  ?l  weari- 
ness!'' Oi  hearing  servio72s. ''■What  ^weariness T' 
Of  religious  conversation,  "  What  a  weariness  !'* 
Of  the  se7wice  and  work  of  the  Lord,  "  What  a  ivear- 
iness !"  "  And  ye  have  snuffed  at  it,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts."  O  awful  condition  !  O  melancholy 
state!  The  world  heaving  like  an  angry  sea 
beneath  your  feet — the  heavens  lowering  and  threat- 
ening above  your  head !  Things  temporal  and 
things  spiritual  alike  affording  no  repose  to  your 
agitated  and  restless  mind!  How  true  is  God's 
word ;  "The  wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea  when 
it  cannot  rest,  whose  w^aters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt. 
There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the  wricked." 
Unconverted  reader  !  this  is  your  present  character, 
and  this  your  present  state  ! 

But  these  are  not  the  "  weary  "  to  whom  this 
passage  especially  addresses  itself.  They  are  the 
Lord's  weary  ones — souls  quickened,  aroused,  made 
sensible  of  their  condition,  and  led  to  seek  and  to 
find   their  rest  in  Jesus.    ,  "  Him  that  is  weary." 


CHRIST   TO   THE   WEARY.  103 

The  character  may  be  regarded  as  descriptive  of 
grace  in  its  earliest  and  weakest  unfoldings.  When 
the  Holy  Spirit  first  enlightens  and  convinces,  he 
produces  a  restlessness  in  the  soul,  which  all  created 
good  refuses  to  meet.  Previously  to  this,  sin  was 
not  felt  to  be  a  burthen,  guilt  produced  no  anxiety, 
eternity  no  fearfulness,  and  evil  habits  were  not 
felt  to  be  a  galling  and  oppressive  chain  bound 
around  the  soul.  The  world's  insufficiency  was 
indeed  acknowledged,  and  the  soul's  restlessness 
was  felt ;  but  still  sin  was  loved,  and  the  world  was 
followed,  and  there  was  no  brokenness  of  heart,  nor 
contrition  of  spirit,  nor  going  to  Jesus  for  rest. 
"With  others  it  was,  perhaps,  somewhat  different. 
There  was  just  awakening  enough  to  produce  alarm 
and  anxiety  of  soul :  sufficient  light  to  reveal  the 
pollution  and  the  darkness ;  and  knowledge  enough 
to  teach  the  necessity  of  a  righteousness  in  which 
to  stand  before  God.  To  work  out  that  righteous- 
ness, and  so  find  rest,  was  the  object  upon  which 
the  whole  soul  was  bent.  Circuitous  was  its  march, 
toilsome  its  work,  and  wearisome  its  way.  "  Do  this 
and  live,"  was  all  the  sound  it  heard,  the  only  gospel 
it  knew.  "  What  shall  I  do  ?"  was  its  mournful  and 
despairing  reply.  But  the  Spirit  of  God  takes  the 
work  into  his  own  hands.  And  what  a  revolution 
of  thought  and  of  feeling  transpires !  Sin  is  now 
felt  to  be  a  heavy  burthen,  hateful  and  hated. 
Past  iniquities  rise  before  the  eye  like  Alp  piled 
upon  Alp,  or  roll  over  the  soul,  like  wave  succeed- 
ing wave     The  spirituality  of  the  law  is  seen,  its 


104  A    WORD    IN   SEASON   FROM 

curse  is  felt,  its  condemnation  is  dreaded.  In  a 
word,  the  whole  soul  is  laid  prostrate  at  the  feet 
of  Jesus,  wear}^  and  heavily  laden.  But  oh !  we 
may  pronounce  it,  blessed  weariness  !  sweet  broken- 
ncss  and  contrition  !  Show  me  the  spot  on  which 
Jehovah's  eyes  rest  with  delight,  and  over  which 
angels  hover  and  rejoice,  and  you  take  me  to  one 
whose  heart  God  has  made  soft,  whose  spirit  is 
contrite,  who  mourns  for  sin,  repenting  in  dust  and 
in  ashes.  This  is  weariness  indeed  !  Reader,  hast 
thou  felt  thy  sins,  and  not  thy  sins  only,  but  thine 
own  righteousness  to  be  a  burthensome  and  a  w^eari- 
some  thing,  too  heavy  for  thee  to  bear?  Then,  thou 
art  included  in  the  number  of  the  Lord's  w^eary 
ones,  and  may  come  and  take  thy  place  with  them 
at  his  feet,  and  hear  the  words  he  would  s]3eak  to 
thee. 

The  Lord's  weary  ones,  too,  include  all  those  who 
feel  the  burthen  of  the  body  of  sin,  and  are  cast  down 
and  weary,  by  reason  of  the  difficulties  and  the 
greatness  of  the  v/ay.  The  Lord's  people  are  em- 
phatically a  weary  people.  It  is  a  "weary  land" 
through  w^hich  they  are  passing:  it  is  no  marvel 
that  they  should  be  faint,  even  though  pursuing. 
Here  is  the  cause  of  the  greatest  weariness.  ITot 
more  truly  does  the  "whole  creation  groan  and 
travail  in  pain,"  than  does  he  w^ho  "bears  about 
with  him  the  body  of  sin  and  of  death,  day  by  day." 
It  is  indeed  to  him  a  continual  and  unrelievable 
pressure.  "  Who  will  deliver  me  from  the  body  of 
sin  and  of  death  ?"  is  his  constant  and  mournful 


CHRIST    TO   THE   WEARY.  105 

cry.  It  is  the  union  of  the  opposites  in  him  that 
creates  his  burthen.  Life  and  death — holiness  and 
sin — grace  and  nature — are  in  perpetual,  and  often 
fierce  combat.  In  this  lies  the  inward  conflict. 
This  is  the  fight  of  faith.  Until  life  was  breathed, 
and  holiness  w^as  created,  and  grace  was  given, 
there  were  no  oppressions,  and  no  warfare,  and  no 
weariness.  Think  of  this,  ye  burthened  and 
oppressed  saints  of  God!  Let  this  thought  fall 
like  a  sunbeam  upon  your  gloomy  and  saddened 
spirit.  Let  it  cheer  you  in  your  cloudy  and  dark 
day.  Wert  thou  dead,  wert  thou  still  in  unrenewed 
nature,  thou  wouldst  be  an  utter  stranger  to  this 
weariness :  and  could  never  understand  the  mean- 
ing of  the  apostle,  ^'I  see  another  law  in  my 
members,  warring  against  the  law  of  my  mind, 
and  bringing  me  into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin 
which  is  in  my  members." 

The  assaults  of  the  adversary  contribute  not  a 
little  to  the  sense  of  weariness  which  often  prostrates 
a  child  of  God.  To  be  set  up  as  a  mark  for  Satan  : 
the  enemy  smitting  where  sensibility  is  the  keenest, 
assailing  where  w^eakness  is  the  greatest,  taking 
advantage  of  every  new  position  and  circumstance, 
—  especially  of  a  season  of  trial,  of  a  weak, 
nervous  temperament,  or  of  a  time  of  sickness — 
distorting  God's  character,  diverting  the  eye  from 
Christ,  and  turning  it  upon  self — are  among  Satan's 
devices  for  casting  down  the  soul  of  a  dear  believer. 
And  then,  there  are  the  narrowness  of  the  narrow 
way,  and  the  intricacies  of  the  intricate  way,  and 


106  A   WORD   IN   SEASON   FROM 

the  perils  of  the  perilous  way,  tending  to  jade  and 
dispirit  the  soul.  To  walk  in  a  path  so  narrow  and 
yet  so  dangerous,  that  the  white  garment  must 
needs  be  closely  wrapped  around ;  to  occupy  a  post 
of  duty  so  conspicuous,  responsible,  and  difficult, 
as  to  fix  every  eye,  some  gazing  with  undue 
admiration,  and  others  with  keen  and  cold  suspi- 
cion, ready  to  detect  and  to  censure  any  slight 
irregularity —  add  not  a  little  to  the  toilsomeness  of 
the  way.  Add  to  this,  the  numerous  and  varied 
trials  and  afflictions  which  pave  his  pathway  to 
heaven ;  his  tenderest  mercies  often  his  acutest 
trials,  and  his  trials  often  weighing  him  to  the 
earth — and  you  have  the  outline  of  a  melancholy 
picture,  of  which  he  whose  eye  scans  this  page  may 
be  the  original.  Does  it  surprise  us,  then,  that 
from  the  lips  of  such  a  one  the  exclamation  often 
rises,  ''  Oh  that  I  had  wings  like  a  dove !  for  then 
would  I  fly  away  and  be  at  rest.  Lo,  then  would 
I  wander  far  off,  and  remain  in  the  wilderness. 
I  would  hasten  my  escape  from  the  windy  storm 
and  tempest." 

It  is  to  such  the  Lord  Jesus  now  addresses  him- 
self in  words  most  appropriate  and  animating,  "  The 
Lord  God  hath  given  me  the  tongue  of  the  learned, 
that  I  should  know  how  to  speak  a  word  in  season 
to  him  that  is  weary."  His  pre-eminent  j^^?iess  for 
this  peculiar  and  difficult  office,  is  the  first  point 
with  which  he  would  arrest  the  attention.  "  The 
tongue  of  the  learned."  The  Lord's  qualification 
will  appear  in  two  or  three  particulars.   His  identity 


CHRIST   TO   THE   WEARY.  107 

with  their  very  nature  describes  him  as  well  calcula- 
ted to  address  himself  to  their  case.  Of  the  nature 
thus  oppressed  and  weary,  he  in  part  partook.  But 
for  this,  so  infinitely  removed  had  he  been  from  their 
condition,  he  had  been  incapable  of  meeting  its  pecu- 
liar necessity.  Absolute  Deity  could  not,  through 
the  medium  of  sympathy,  have  conveyed  a  word  of 
comfort  to  the  weary.  There  had  been  wanting,  not 
the  power  to  relieve,  but  the  mode  of  relieving  the 
oppressed  and  sorrowful  heart.  There  had  been 
needed  the  connecting  and  transmitting  chain — the 
heavenly  highway  of  thought,  of  feeling,  and  of 
sympathy  —  between  these  extremes  of  being,  the 
loving  heart  of  God  and  the  desolate  heart  of  man. 
Unacquainted  with  grief,  untouched  by  sorrow, 
unbeclouded  by  care,  unaffected  by  weariness,  an 
absolute  God  could  not  possibly  offer  the  succour 
and  the  condolence  which  sympathetic  feeling  alone 
could  give,  and  which  a  jaded  spirit  and  a  sorrow- 
touched,  care-oppressed,  and  sin-beclouded  soul 
demanded.  l!^or  could  angels  afford  the  help  required. 
The  only  burthen  which  they  know  is  the  burthen 
of  love;  and  the  only  weariness  they  feel  is  the 
weariness  of  ever-burning  devotion  and  zeah  It  is 
this  which  gives  strength  to  their  wings,  and  swift- 
ness to  their  flight.  They  are  represented  as 
"  hearkening  to  the  voice  of  the  Lord,"  ready  to 
speed  their  way  on  some  embass}^  of  mercy  and  love. 
In  fulfilling  this  their  ministry,  their  eye  never  slum- 
bers, their  pinions  never  droop.  But  we  needed  a 
nature  so  constituted  as  to  enter  into,  and,  as  it  were, 


108  A   WOUD   IN   SEASON   FROM 

become  a  part  of  the  very  weariness  it  sought  to 
relieve.  Look  at  Jesus  !  "  Behold  the  many  "With 
weariness  in  every  form  he  was  intimate.  He  knew 
what  bodily  weakness  was.  Do  you  not  love  to  linger 
in  pensive  thoughtfulness  over  that  touching  incident 
of  his  life  which  describes  him  as  sitting  fatigued 
upon  Jacob's  well  ?  "And  being  weary ^  he  sat  thus 
upon  the  well."  Picture  him  to  your  eye  !  See  the 
dust  upon  his  sandals  —  for  he  had  walked  forty 
miles  that  day,  —  the  sweat  upon  his  brow,  the  air 
of  languor  upon  his  countenance,  and  the  jaded  ex- 
pression in  his  eye !  Do  we  deify  his  humanity  ? 
No  !  It  was  real  humanity — humanity  like  our  own. 
It  is  our  joy,  our  boast,  our  glory,  our  salvation,  that 
he  was  really  man,  as  he  was  truly  God. 

Consider,  too,  what  he  endured  for  man,/rom  man. 
This  was  no  small  part  of  the  weariness  of  our 
nature  into  which  he  entered.  How  soon  did  he 
come  to  the  end  of  the  creature  !  Alas  !  the  crea- 
ture has  an  end,  and  sooner  or  later  God  brings  us 
to  it,  and  in  the  exercise,  too,  of  the  tenderest  love 
of  his  heart.  When  most  he  needed  its  sheltering 
protection,  he  found  the  creature  a  withered  gourd, 
—  and  he  bore  his  sorrow  alone;  And  when  he 
repaired  to  it  for  the  refreshing  of  sympathy,  he  found 
it  a  broken  cistern, — and  he  panted  in  vain.  Where 
were  his  disciples  now  ?  He  was  in  trouble,  but 
there  was  no  one  to  help ;  he  was  in  the  storm,  but 
no  one  would  know  him  ;  refuge  failed  him,  no  man 
cared  for  his  soul !  He  was  in  sorrow,  but  no  bosom 
proffered  its  pillow ;  he  was  accused,  but  no  tongue 


CHRIST   TO   THE   WEARY.  109 

was  heard  in  its  defence ;  he  was  scourged,  but  no 
arm  was  Ufted  to  repel ;  he  was  condemned,  but  no 
one  vindicated  his  innocence,  nor  sought  to  arrest 
his  progess  to  the  cross !  Oh,  how  fully  did  Jesus 
realize  the  creature's  nothingness,  and  so  enter  into 
his  people's  condition  of  weariness. 

Contemplate,  too,  the  pressure  that  was  often,  we 
might  say  always,  upon  his  sensitive  spirit.  See  him 
bearing  our  sickness  and  our  sorrows;  more  than 
this,  carrying  our  iniquities  and  our  sins.  Think 
not  that  thy  path  is  a  lone  one.  The  incarnate  God 
has  trodden  it  before  thee,  and  he  can  give  thee  the 
clear  eye  of  faith  to  descry  his  foot-print  in  every 
step.  Jesus  can  say,  and  he  does  say  to  thee,  "  I 
know  thy  sorrow  ;  I  know  what  that  cross  is,  for  I 
have  carried  it.  Thou  hast  not  a  burthen  that  I  did 
not  bear,  nor  a  sorrow  that  I  did  not  feel,  nor  a  pain 
that  I  did  not  endure,  nor  a  path  that  I  did  not  tread, 
nor  a  tear  that  did  not  bedew  my  eye,  nor  a  cloud 
that  did  not  shade  my  spirit,  before  thee,  and  for 
thee.  Is  it  bodily  weakness  ?  I  once  walked  forty 
miles,  to  carry  the  living  water  to  a  poor  sinner  at 
Samaria.  Is  it  the  sorrow  of  bereavement  ^  I  wept 
at  the  grave  of  my  friend,  although  I  knew  that  I 
was  about  to  recall  the  loved  one  back  again  to  life. 
Is  it  ih.Q  frailty  and  the  fickleness  of  human  friendship  ? 
I  stood  by  and  heard  my  person  denied  by  lips  that 
once  spake  kindly  to  me  ;  lips  now  renouncing  me 
with  an  oath  that  once  vowed  afiection  unto  death. 
Is  it  straitness  of  circumstancey  the  galling  sense  of 
dependence  f  I  was  no  stranger  to  poverty,  and  was 
10 


110  A   WORD   IN   SEASON  FROM 

often  nourislied  and  sustained  by  tlic  charity  of 
otliers.  Is  it  that  thou,  art  houseless  ^md  friendless  f 
So  was  I.  The  foxes  hied  them  to  their  shelter,  and 
the  birds  winged  them  to  their  nests,  but  I,  though 
Lord  of  all,  had  not  where  to  lay  7717/  head;  and 
often  day  after  day  passed  away,  and  no  soothing 
accents  of  friendship  fell  upon  my  ear.  Is  it  the 
burthen  of  sin  9  Even  that  I  bore  in  its  accumulated 
and  tremendous  weight  when  I  hung  accursed  upon 
the  tree.  Yes,  Christian  reader,  you  have  not  a 
High  Priest  who  cannot  be  touched  with  the  feeling 
of  your  infirmities,  but  was,  in  all  points,  tempted 
like  as  you  are,  though  he  was  without  sin.  0  how 
pre-eminently  fitted  is  Christ  to  speak  a  word  to  the 
weary  ! 

But  in  addition  to  this,  Jesus  possessed  a  derived 
fitness  —  a  fitness  communicated  to  him  by  his 
Father.  This  his  words  clearly  imply.  "  The  Lord 
God  hath  given  me  the  tongue  of  the  learned."  All 
the  grace  and  the  gifts  with  which,  as  man,  he  was 
furnished,  were  the  bestowment  of  the  spirit  of  God, 
and  were  given  in  order  to  qualify  him  to  speak  to 
the  weary.  In  a  distinguished  sense,  he  possessed 
the  tongue  of  the  learned ;  or,  as  the  passage  might 
be  rendered,*  "  The  Lord  Jehovah  has  given  me  an 
eloquent  tongue,  (literally,  one  skilled,  practised, 
instructed,)  that  I  might  know  how  to  console  the 
weary,  or,  that  I  may  sustain  the  weary  with  a 
word."  Never  was  there  a  tongue  like  Christ's  — 
so  learned,  so  eloquent,  and   so   skilled.     "Never 

*  Hengstenberg's  Christology  of  the  Old  Testament. 


CHRIST   TO    THE    WEARY.  Ill 

man  spake  like  this  man."     Greece  and  Rome,  in 

their 

"  High  and  palmy  state," 

never  exhibited  such  philosophy  as  he  taught,  nor 
such  erudition  as  he  displayed,  nor  such,  eloquence 
as  he  breathed.  Had  he  so  chosen  it,  he  could  have 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  a  school  of  his  own, 
and,  with  a  beck,  might  have  allured  to  his  feet  all 
the  poets  and  philosophers  of  his  day,  proud  to  own 
him  as  their  Master.  But  no !  The  wisdom  and 
the  eloquence  of  this  world  possessed  no  charm  for 
him.  He  drew  the  learning  and  the  melting  power 
with  which  he  spoke  from  a  higher,  even  a  heavenly 
source.  His  was  divine  philosophy ;  his  was  the  elo- 
quence of  God  !  "  The  Lord  Jehovah  hath  given 
me  the  tongue  of  the  eloquent." 

And  to  whom  did  he  consecrate  this  learning,  this 
wisdom  and  this  eloquence  ?  To  the  very  objects 
whom  the  proud  philosophers  and  the  doctors  of  his 
day  despised  and  neglected — even  the  weary.  What 
a  field  was  here  for  the  exercise  of  his  skill  and  for 
the  play  of  his  benevolence  !  How  fully  would  he 
demonstrate  that  he  truly  possessed  the  "  tongue  of 
the  learned !"  If,  to  interest  the  feelings  of  the  ex- 
hausted ;  if,  to  enchain  the  attention  of  the  weary ; 
if,  to  concentrate  upon  one  subject  the  powers  of  a 
mind,  jaded  and  burthened;  if,  to  awaken  music 
from  a  heart  whose  chords  were  broken  and  un- 
strung, mark  the  loftiest  reach  of  eloquence,  then, 
his  was  eloquence  unsurpassed, — for  all  this  he  did. 
The  beings  whom  he  sought  out  and  drew  around 


112  A   WORD    IN   SEASON   FROM 

him,  were  the  burthened,  the  bowed  down,  the  dis- 
consolate, the  poor,  the  friendless,  the  helpless,  the 
ignorant,  the  weary.  He  loved  to  lavish  upon  such 
the  fulness  of  his  benevolent  heart,  and  to  exert 
upon  such  the  skill  of  his  wonder-working  power. 
Earth's  weary  sons  repaired  to  his  out-stretched  arms 
for  shelter,  and  the  world's  ignorant  and  despised 
clustered  around  his  feet,  to  be  taught  and  blessed. 
Sinners  of  every  character,  and  the  disconsolate  of 
every  grade,  attracted  by  his  renown,  pressed  upon 
him  from  every  side.  "  This  man  receiveth  sinners,'' 
was  the  name  and  the  character  by  which  he  was 
known.  It  was  new  and  strange.  Uttered  by  the 
lip  of  the  proud  and  disdainful  Pharisee,  it  was  an 
epithet  of  reproach  and  an  expression  of  contumely. 
But  upon  the  ear  of  the  poor  and  wretched  outcast, 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  sorrow,  ignorance,  and 
woe,  it  fell  sweeter  than  the  music  of  the  spheres. 
It  passed  from  lip  to  lip ;  it  echoed  from  shore  to 
shore — "  This  man  receiveth  sinners  1"  It  found 
its  way  into  the  abodes  of  misery  and  want;  it 
penetrated  the  dungeon  of  the  prisoner,  and  the  cell 
of  the  maniac ;  and  it  kindled  an  unearthly  light 
in  the  solitary  dwelling  of  the  widow  and  the 
orphan,  the  unpitied  and  the  friendless.  Thus 
received  its  accomplishment  the  prophecy  that  pre- 
dicted him  as  the  "Plant  of  renown,"  whom 
Jehovah  would  raise  up.  Thousands  came,  faint, 
and  weary,  and  sad,  and  sat  down  beneath  his 
shadow ;  and  thousands  more  since  then  have  pressed 
to  their  wounded  hearts  the  balsam  that  flowed  from 
his  bleeding  bod}-,  and  have  been  healed. 


CHRIST   TO    THE    WEARY.  113 

Let  US  turn  our  attention  for  a  moment,  to  the 
subject-matter  of  our  Lord's  address  to  the  wear3\ 
What  does  he  speak  to  them  ?  Some  would  reply, 
the  law.  Kay  ;  but  the  law  of  God  never  sj)ake  a 
w^ord  of  comfort  to  the  weary.  It  was  not  designed 
for  such.  Its  very  nature  forbids  it.  It  can  anathe- 
matize, alarm,  and  wound ;  but  not  a  solitary  word 
of  consolation  and  soothing  can  it  address  to  a  soul 
weary  and  heavily-laden  with  sorrow  and  with  guilt. 
But  it  is  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God  that 
the  Lord  Jesus  speaks  to  his  weary  ones.  It  was 
designed  and  framed  especially  for  them.  Its  very 
nature  fits  it  for  such.  Every  word  is  an  echo  of 
the  love  of  God's  heart.  Every  sentence  is  fraught 
with  grace,  mercy,  and  truth.  The  word  which 
Jesus  speaks,  is  just  the  word  the  weary  want.  It 
unfolds  a  free  pardon,  complete  acceptance,  perfect 
reconciliation  with  God,  and  all-sufiicient  grace  to 
perfect  this  work  in  holiness.  It  bids  me  as  a  sinner 
approach  just  as  I  am ;  my  poverty,  my  vileness,  my 
guilt,  my  utter  destitution,  forming  no  just  hinder- 
ances  to  my  salvation,  because  his  atoning  work  has 
made  it  a  righteous  thing  in  God  to  justify  the  guilty, 
and  a  gracious  act  in  Jesus  to  save  the  lost.  Yea, 
he  condescends  to  assure  me  in  that  word  of  a  free 
grace  gospel,  which  he  speaks  with  a  tongue  so  elo- 
quent, that  I  honour  him  in  accepting  his  proffered 
boon,  and  that  I  glorify  him  by  trusting  my  soul 
into  his  Almighty  hands. 

There  is  yet  an  essential  and  most  important  truth 
here  to  which  he  would  direct  the  reader's  particular 
10* 


114  A   WORD   IN   SEASON   FROM 

attention.  "We  allude  to  the  rest  in  Christ  to  which 
his  word  to  the  weary  especially  invites.  Our  blessed 
Lord  is  not  one  that  mocks  the  circumstances  of  the 
weary.  "When  he  speaks,  it  is  with  all  the  love  of 
his  heart,  and  when  he  invites,  it  is  with  all  the  sin- 
cerity of  his  soul.  Listen,  then,  to  his  gracious 
words,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are 
heavily  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest." 

With  what  brightness  does  the  truth,  appear 
written  with  beams  of  heavenly  light  —  Jesus,  the 
REST  OF  THE  WEARY  !  "  Come  unto  me.''  The  Father 
has  made  his  Son  the  resting-place  of  his  church. 
He  himself  has  vested  His  whole  glory  in  Christ. 
He  knew  what  Christ  was  capable  of  sustaining.  He 
knew  that  as  His  Fellow — one  equal  with  Himself, 
He  could  with  safety  embark  the  honour  of  His 
government  in  the  hands  of  His  Son.  He  confided 
therein  Himself!    His  government,  and  His  church, 

—  all  in  Christ.  To  this  ''tried  stone,"  He  would 
now  bring  His  people.  He  found  it  strong  enough 
for  Himself,  and  He  knows  it  to  be  strong  enough 
for  them,  and  with  confidence  He  invites  the  weary 
to  come  and  repose  upon  it.  Jesus  but  echoes  the 
heart  of  the  Father  when  he  says,  "  Come  unto  me 

—  I  wdll  give  you  rest."  I*[ever  did  the  tongue  of 
Jesus  utter  words  more  learned, — more  eloquent, — 
more  persuasive.  Just  the  word  we  want.  "We  seek 
rest  by  nature  everywhere,  and  in  everything,  but 
in  Jesus.  "We  seek  it  in  the  sensual  world,  we  seek 
it  in  the  moral  world,  we  seek  it  in  the  religious 
world  —  we  find  it  not.    We  seek  it  in  conviction. 


CHRIST   TO   THE   WEARY.  115 

we  seek  it  in  ordinances,  we  seek  it  in  doiag  the 
works  of  the  law,  and  still  it  evades  us.  ^Ye  go 
from  place  to  place,  from  mean  to  mean,  from 
minister  to  minister,  and  still  the  burthen  presses, 
and  the  guilt  remains,  and  we  find  no  rest.  No : 
and  never  will  we  find  it,  until  it  is  sought  and  found 
solely,  wholly,  exclusively,  and  entirely  in  Jesus. 
Rest  for  the  sin-weary  soul  is  only  to  be  met  with 
in  him  who  bore  the  curse  for  man's  transgression. 
Here  God  rests,  and  here  the  sinner  must  rest.  Here 
the  Father  rests,  and  here  the  child  may  rest.  Jesus 
is  the  great  burthen-bearer  for  God  and  for  man. 
Listen  again  to  the  melody  of  his  words :  "  Come 
unto  me— I  will  give  you  rest."  See,  how  he  invites 
you,  without  one  solitary  condition.  He  makes  no 
exception  to  your  guilt  and  unworthiness.  The 
word  is,  "Come  unto  me:"  in  other  words,  believe 
in  me.  To  "  come,"  is  simply  and  only  to  believe. 
And  oh  !  how  can  we  fully  set  forth  the  "  rest"  to  be 
found  in  Jesus  ?  Let  those  testify  who  took  their 
guilt  to  his  blood,  their  vileness  to  his  righteousness, 
their  sins  to  his  grace,  their  burthens  to  his  arm, 
their  sorrows  to  his  heart.  Let  them  tell  how,  in  a 
moment,  their  sense  of  weariness  fied,  and  rest, 
Bweet,  soothing  rest  to  their  soul,  succeeded.  Are 
^ouy  my  reader,  a  sin-weary  soul  ?  Then,  to  you  is 
this  invitation  addressed :  "  Come  unto  me  —  to  me, 
the  Saviour,  whose  willingness  is  equal  to  my  ability. 
To  me,  who  never  rejected  a  single  soul  that  sought 
salvation  and  heaven  at  my  hands.  Come  unto  me 
—  I  will  give  you  rest." 


116  A   WORD   IN    SEASON   FROM 

In  the  case  of  a  tried  believer,  the  rest  that  Jesus 
gives  does  not  always  imply  the  removal  of  the  bur- 
den from  whence  this  sense  of  weariness  proceeds. 
The  burthen  is  permitted  to  remain,  and  yet  rest  is 
experienced.  Yea,  it  would  appear  from  his  pro- 
cedure, that  the  very  existence  of  the  burthen  was 
essential  to  the  existence  of  the  rest.  He  withdraws 
not  the  trouble  from  us,  nor  us  from  the  trouble ; 
and  still  the  repose  we  sighed  for  is  given.  Won- 
derful indeed  !  But  how  is  it  explained  ?  That  bur- 
then takes  us  to  Jesus.  It  is  but  the  cause  of  our 
simply  going  to  him.  But  for  that  sorrow,  or  that 
calamity,  or  that  sickness,  or  that  bereavement,  we 
should  have  stayed  away.  The  pressure  compelled 
us  to  go.  And  how  does  he  meet  us  ?  Does  he  open 
a  way  of  escape  from  our  difficulty,  or  does  he  im- 
mediately  unbind  our  burthen  and  set  us  free? 
I:Tay ;  better  than  this,  he  pours  strength  into  our 
souls,  and  life  into  our  spirits,  and  love  into  our 
hearts,  and  so  we  find  rest.  Thus  are  fulfilled  in  our 
experience  the  precious  promises,  "As  thy  days,  so 
shall  thy  strength  be."  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for 
thee." 

But  there  is  still  a  deeply  interesting  truth  to  be 
considered.  It  is  the  timeing  of  the  Lord's  address 
tothew^eary.  It  is  ever  a  "word  in  season."  It  is 
spoken  just  at  the  moment  that  it  is  needed.  Herein 
is  no  small  unfolding  of  the  love  of  our  Lord.  ISTor 
less  an  evidence  of  his  complex  person  as  God-man. 
How  could  he  so  time  his  word  to  the  weary  as  to 
meet  their  exigence  at  its  very  crisis,  did  not  his 


CHRIST   TO   THE   WEARY.  117 

Deity  make  him  cognizant  of  the  critical  junctures 
in  which  they  were  placed  !  And  let  it  be  mentioned, 
that  this  operation  is  going  on  in  every  place  and  at 
every  moment.  And  how  could  he  meet  that  exi- 
gence, and  speak  a  word  in  season  to  the  weary,  but 
as  his  humanity  was  touched  with  the  feeling  of  the 
infirmity  ?  It  is  by  this  process  of  experience  that 
we  are  brought  into  close  views  of  the  glory  of  our 
incarnate  God. 

Yes,  it  is  a  "  word  in  season."  When  Jesus  speaks 
to  the  penitent  weeping  at  his  feet,  "Thy  sins  are 
forgiven  thee,"  who  can  describe  the  joy  which  now 
fills  the  heart,  and  the  radiance  of  hope  which  now 
lights  up  the  soul  ?  It  was,  perhaps,  at  the  moment 
of  dark  despair ;  all  other  refuge  failed ;  all  was 
given  up  for  lost ;  and  just  as  the  last  billow  came 
rolling  on,  threatening  to  engulf  the  soul  in 
woe,  Jesus  spake  a  "word  in  season,"  and  all 
was  peace. 

And  when  he  speaks  through  the  ministry  of  the 
word,  or  by  the  word  itself,  to  the  believer,  wearied 
with  conflict  and  with  trial,  it  has  been  just  at  the 
moment  that  its  sustaining  and  consoling  power  was 
^rtl^  needed.  The  eye  that  slumbers  not  nor  sleeps 
was  upon  you.  He  knew  in  what  furnace  you  were 
placed,  and  was  there  to  temper  the  flame  when  it 
seemed  the  severest.  He  saw  your  frail  bark  strug- 
gling through  the  tempest,  and  he  came  to  your 
rescue  at  the  height  of  the  storm.  How  has  he 
proved  this  in  seasons  of  difiiculty  and  doubt !  How 
often,  at  a  crisis  the  most  critical  of  your  history, 


118  A    WORD    IN    SEASON    FROM 

the  Lord  has  appeared  for  you  !  Your  want  has 
been  supplied,  your  doubt  has  been  solved,  and  your 
perplexity  has  been  guided;  he  has  delivered  }- our 
soul  from  death,  your  eyes  from  tears,  and  your  feet 
from  falling.  A  word  by  Jesus,  spoken  in  due  sea- 
son, how  good  is  it ! 

In  what  an  exalted  and  endearing  light  does  this 
truth  place  Christ's  sleepless  vigilance  of  his  people ! 
Imagine  yourself  threading  your  way  along  a  most 
difficult  and  perilous  path,  every  step  of  which  is 
attended  with  pain  and  jeopardy,  and  is  taken  with 
hesitancy  and  doubt.   Unknown  to  you  and  unseen, 
there  is  One  hovering  each,  moment  around  you, 
checking  each  false  step,  and  guiding  each  doubtful 
one ;    soothing   each   sorrow,  and   supplying   each 
want.   All  is  calm  and  silent.   IsTot  a  sound  is  heard, 
not  a  movement  is  seen ;  and  yet,  to  your  amaze- 
ment, just  at  the  critical  moment,  the  needed  suc- 
cour comes, — ^you  know  not  from  whence,  you  know 
not  from  whom.     This  is  no  picture  of  fancy.     Art 
thou  a  child  of  God  retracing  thy  steps  back  to  para- 
dise by  an  intricate  and  perilous  way  ?     Jesus  is 
near  to  thee  at  each  moment,  unseen  and  often  un- 
known.    Thou  hast  at  times  stood  speechless  with 
awe  at  the  strange  interposition  on  thy  behalf,  of 
providence  and  of  grace.   'No  visible  sign  betokened 
the  source  of  thy  help.    There  was  no  echo  of  footfall 
at  thy  side,  no  flitting  of  shadow  athwart  thy  path. 
Ko  law  of  nature  was  altered  nor  suspended,  the  sun 
stood  not  still,  nor  did  the  heavens  open ;  and  yet 
deliverance,  strange  and  effectual  deliverance,  came 


CHRIST  TO  THE  WEARY.  119 

at  a  moment  most  unexpected,  yet  most  needed. 
It  was  Jesus  thy  Redeemer,  thy  Brother,  thy  Shep- 
herd, and  thy  Guide.  He  it  was  who,  hovering 
around  thee,  unknown  and  unobserved,  kept  thee  as 
the  apple  of  his  eye,  and  sheltered  thee  in  the  hol- 
low of  his  hand.  It  was  he  who  armed  thee  wdth 
intrepidity  for  the  fight,  who  poured  strength  into 
thy  spirit,  and  grace  into  thy  heart,  when  the  full 
weight  of  the  calamity  pressed  upon  thee.  Thus 
has  he  always  been  to  his  saints.  The  incident  of 
the  disciples  in  the  storm  presents  a  striking  instance 
of  this.  Behold  him  standing  upon  the  shore,  eye- 
ing with  riveted  gaze  the  little  boat  as  it  struggled 
amidst  the  sea.  They  were  often  invisible  to  human 
eye,  but  not  a  moment  were  they  lost  to  his.  'Not 
even  when  on  the  mount  alone  in  prayer,  were  they 
forgotten  or  unobserved.  He  beheld  from  thence 
their  peril,  he  knew  their  fears,  and  hastened  to 
their  succour.  Stepping  from  the  shore  he  ap- 
proached them.  O  how  majestic  did  his  form  now 
appear, —  walking  like  a  man,  and  upon  the  water, 
like  a  God !  They  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus,  and 
were  afraid.  But  their  knowledge  of  him  was  not 
necessary  to  their  safety.  It  was  enough  that  he 
knew  them.  And  just  as  the  storm  was  at  its 
height,  and  their  fears  rose  with  their  peril,  he  drew 
near  and  said  in  his  own  gentle  soothing  tone,  unto 
them,  "It  is  I,  be  not  afraid."  It  was  a  "word 
spoken  in  season." 

It  is    one   of   the  most  blessed  truths   of   the 
covenant  of  grace,  that  the  God  of  the  covenant  is 


120  A  WORD   IN  SEASON  FROM 

"  very  present  help  in  every  time  of  trouble.'* 
Loving  His  people  as  He  does,  dwelling  in  them  by 
His  Spirit,  their  persons  and  circumstances  continu- 
ally before  Him  in  the  person  and  the  intercession 
of  His  dear  Son,  how  can  He  possibly  lose  sight  of 
them  for  a  single  moment  ?  They  may,  and  they 
often  do,  lose  sight  of  Him.  They  do  not,  alas ! 
set  the  Lord  alwa3"s  before  their  face.  They  train 
and  discipline  not  themselves  to  see  Him  in  every 
event,  circumstance,  and  incident  of  life.  They  are 
not  clear-sighted  to  recognise  nor  prompt  to  acknow- 
ledge Him  in  every  providence  that  darkens  or 
lightens  upon  their  way.  Were  they  but  right- 
minded,  they  would  exclaim  of  every  good  and  of  every 
evil  as  it  came,  "  The  Lord  is  in  this  !"  But  they 
are  never  for  an  instant  out  of  Ids  heart,  out  of  his 
thoughts,  out  of  Ms  hands,  or  out  oiliis  eye.  How  near 
to  them,  too,  is  the  Holy  Spirit !  Dwelling  in,  and 
over-shadowing  them,  he  is  at  their  side  to  guide, 
to  uphold,  and  to  cheer  ;  bringing  to  their  memory 
a  precious  promise,  or  writing  upon  their  heart  an 
animating  truth,  or  opening  before  their  eye  some 
endearing  glimpse  of  Jesus,  just  the  moment  it  was 
needed.  What  a  happy,  what  a  favoured  people 
are  the  Lord's  !  "  Happy  is  he  that  hath  the  God 
of  Jacob  for  his  help,  whose  hope  is  in  the  Lord 
his  God.  Happy  is  that  people  that  is  in  such  a 
case."  But  let  us  trace  some  of  the  practical 
conclusions  to  which  this  interesting  subject  brings 
as. 
The  Lord  Jesus  speaks  at  the  present  time  to  the 


CHRIST   TO   THE   WEARY  121 

weary.  We  need  constant] j  to  bear  in  mind  the 
immutability  of  our  Lord;  that  "Jesus  Christ  is 
the  same  yesterday,  and  to  day,  and  for  ever." 
That  all  that  he  ever  has  been — and  oh  !  what  has 
he  not  been  ?  —  he  is  at  this  moment.  What 
countless  numbers  are  now  bathing  their  souls  in 
the  bliss  of  heaven,  whose  tears  were  once  dried, 
whose  fears  were  once  quelled,  whose  burthen  was 
once  removed  by  those  precious  words  spoken  in 
season — "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and 
are  heavily  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest !  "  O 
could  they,  bending  now  from  their  thrones,  but 
speak  to  us,  they  would  testify  what  substance, 
what  reality,  what  sweetness,  what  power,  and  what 
charms  the}^  once  found  in  them  I  And  they  would 
bid  every  weary  spirit,  every  weeping  penitent, 
every  tried  saint  believe,  and  press  the  promise  to 
their  heart.  But  a  dearer,  a  lovelier,  and  a  better 
than  they,  bids  thee  receive  it.  Jesus  himself 
speaks  to  thee  :  "  Come  unto  Me  —  and  I  will  give 
you  rest."  All  that  he  was  in  their  happy  experi- 
ence, he  will  be  in  yours.  The  grace  that  made 
them  what  they  once  were,  and  what  they  now  are, 
is  sufficient  for  you.  Go,  and  lay  your  weariness 
on  Christ.  Ask  not,  "Will  he  bear  my  burthen?" 
He  bears  every  burthen  brought  to  him.  ISTot  one 
poor,  weary,  heavy-laden  sinner  does  he  turn  away. 
Thou  art,  perhaps,  a  mourning  penitent  —  he  will 
receive  thee.  Thou  art,  perhaps,  a  vile  outcast 
—  he  will  welcome  thee.  lie  says  he  will,  and 
11 


122     .  A   WORD    IN    SEASON   FROM 

he    cannot  deny  himself.     It  is  impossible  that  he 
should  lie. 

The  Lord  Jesus  gives  Jiis  people  the  tougue  of  the 
learned,  that  they  may  sometimes  speak  a  word  in 
season  to  his  weary  ones.  Have  you  not  a  word 
for  Christ  ?  May  you  not  go  to  that  tried  believer 
in  sickness,  in  poverty,  in  adversity,  or  in  prison, 
and  tell  of  the  balm  that  has  often  healed  thy 
spirit,  and  of  the  cordial  that  has  often  cheered  thy 
heart?  "A  word  duly  spoken,  how  good  is  it!" 
A  text  quoted,  a  sentiment  repeated,  an  observation 
made,  a  hint  dropped,  kind  caution  suggested,  a 
gentle  rebuke  given,  a  tender  admonition  left — oh  ! 
the  blessing  that  has  flowed  from  it !  It  was  a  word 
spoken  in  season !  Say  not  with  Moses,  "  I  am 
slow  of  speech,  and  of  a  slow  tongue ;"  or,  with 
Jeremiah,  "  Ah,  Lord  God  !  behold  I  cannot  speak, 
for  I  am  a  child."  Hear  the  answer  of  the  Lord : 
''  Who  hath  made  man's  mouth  ?  have  not  I  the 
Lord  ?  IsTow  therefore  go,  and  I  will  be  with  thy 
mouth,  and  teach  thee  what  thou  shalt  say."  And 
oh,  how  frequently  and  efi:ectually  does  the  Lord 
speak  to  his  weary  ones,  even  through  the  weary  ! 
All,  perhaps,  was  conflict  within,  and  darkness 
without ;  but  one  word  falling  from  the  lips  of  a 
man  of  God,  has  been  the  voice  of  God  to  the  soul. 
And  what  an  honour  conferred,  thus  to  be  the 
channel  of  conveying  consolation  from  the  loving 
heart  of  the  Father  to  the  disconsolate  heart  of  the 
child !  To  go  and  smooth  a  rufiled  pillow,  and 
lift  the  pressure  from  oflT  a  burthcned  spirit,  and  light 


CHRIST   TO    THE    WEARY.  123 

np  the  gloomy  chamber  of  sorrow,  of  sickness,  and 
of  death,  as  with  the  first  dawnings  of  tlie  coming 
glory.  Go,  Christian  reader,  and  ask  the  Lord  so 
to  clothe  your  tongue  with  holy,  heavenly  eloquence, 
that  you  may  '■'■know  hoiu  to  speak  a  word  in  season 
to  him  that  is  weary." 

In  contending  for  the  faith,  remember  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  can  give  you  the  tongue  of  the  learned. 
Listen  to  his  promise  —  "I  will  give  you  a  mouth 
and  wisdom,  which  all  your  adversaries  shall  not  be 
able  to  gainsay  nor  resist."  Thus  the  most  un- 
learned, and  the  most  weak,  may  be  so  deeply 
taught,  and  be  so  skilfully  armed  in  Christ's  school, 
as  to  be  able  valiantly  to  defend,  and  successfully  to 
preach  the  truth,  putting  to  "  silence  the  ignorance 
of  foolish  men." 

It  is  a  matter  of  much  practical  importance,  that 
you  take  heed  not  to  anticipate  or  to  forestall  the 
promised  grace.  For  every  possible  circumstance 
in  which  you  may  be  placed,  the  fulness  of  Christ, 
and  the  supplies  of  the  covenant  are  provided. 
That  provision  is  only  meted  out  as  the  occasions  for 
whose  history  it  was  provided  occur.  Beware  of 
creating  trouble  by  ante-dating  it.  Seen  through 
the  mist,  the  advancing  object  may  appear  gigantic 
in  size,  and  terrific  in  appearance.  And  yet  the 
trouble  you  so  much  dread  may  never  come ;  or, 
coming,  it  will  assuredly  bring  with  it  the  "  word 
spoken  in  season."  In  the  case  of  every  child  of 
God,  calamity  never  comes  alone;  it  invariably 
brings  Jesus  with  it. 


124  A  WORD    IN   SEASON   FllOM 

There  is  a  period  approaching  —  the  last  and 
c'reat  crisis  of  human  life — when  we  shall  more  than 
ever  need  the  "  tongue  of  the  learned."  It  will  he 
of  all  seasons  most  trying  and  solemn,  the  season 
that  separates  the  soul  from  the  body.  To  that  each 
must  come.  The  hand  that  holds  this  pen,  and  the 
eye  that  reads  the  lines  which  it  traces,  will  relax, 
and  grow  dim  in  death,  and  the  writer  and  the 
reader  will  meet  together  to  read  another  hook  in 
the  light  of  the  great  white  throne — the  hook  of 
life !  Oh  blessed  indeed  to  find  our  names 
recorded  there !  But  if  Jesus  is  our  salvation, 
why  shrink  from  that  hour  ?  lie  will  be  there  to 
speak  a  word  in  season  to  thy  weary  soul  amid 
the  swellings  of  Jordan  —  loving  and  faithful  to 
the  last. 

Be  not  surprised  at  any  w^ay  which  the  Lord  may 
take  to  bring  your  weary  soul  to  rest  in  himself.  It 
is  not  always  in  the  crowd  that  he  speaks  comfort- 
ingly to  the  heart.  More  frequently  he  leads  his 
people  out,  and  takes  them  apart  by  himself  alone. 
It  is  often  in  the  privacy  of  separation  and  retire- 
ment, when  the  soul  is  curtained  within  his  pavilion, 
that  the  greatest  and  the  sw^eetest  nearness  to  Jesus 
is  experienced.  "  Behold,  I  will  allure  her  into  the 
wilderness,  and  speak  comfortably  to  her"  — (marg. 
speak  friendly  to  her  heart.)  Has  the  Lord  been 
leading  you  about — severing  this  tie,  and  breaking 
up  that  repose ;  disappointing  you  here,  and  thwart- 
ing you  there  ?  Amazed,  you  have  asked,  "  Lord, 
why  this  ?"     And  the  only  reply  has  been  the  com- 


CHRIST   TO   THE   WEARY.  125 

fort  which  he  has  spoken  to  thy  wear}^,  desolate 
heart.  Thus  does  he  make  good  in  your  experience 
his  own  exceedingly  great  and  precious  promise  — 
"  I  will  satiate  the  weary  soul,  and  will  replenish 
every  sorrowful  soul." 

"  Is  it  for  this  ray  weary  feet 
So  long  the  -wilderness  have  trod. 
Through  winter's  cold,  and  summer's  heat, 
Thus  to  be  comforted  by  God  ? 

*'  Is  it  for  this  he  brought  the  night, 
And  quenched  awhile  each  tiny  ray ; 
That  lie  himself  might  be  my  light, 
And  turn  the  darkness  into  day? 

**  Is  it  for  this  the  waves  arose, 
And  tempests  raged,  and  would  not  cease, 
That  Christ  himself  might  interpose, 
And  shed  around  a  perfect  peace  ? 

"  Is  it  for  this  he  chastened  sore, 
And  let  my  soul  in  prison  be  ; 
That  he  might  show  an  open  door. 
And  say  in  tender  love  —  Be  *  free  ! ' 

"  Is  it  for  this  he  laid  me  low, 
And  filled  my  heart  with  strange  alarms  ; 
That  I  might  let  all  others  go, 
And  sweetly  rest  upon  his  arms  ? 

"  Oh  yes!  my  feeble  faith  descries 
Bright  light  between  each  parting  cloud ; 
And  soon  my  soul,  with  glad  surprise, 
Shall  mount  and  sing  her  song  aloud/^ 

11* 


CHAPTER  V. 
THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  KOOT. 

"  And  now  also  the  axe  is  laid  unto  the  root  of  the  trees  :  therefore  every 
tree  ■which  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into 
the  fire."  —  Matt.  iii.  10. 

It  is  a  solemn  and  a  veritable  thought,  that  hu- 
man character  is  training  and  moulding  for  eternity. 
Nothing  in  the  universe  of  matter  or  of  mind  is 
stationary.  Everything  is  in  motion ;  the  motion 
is  progressive — the  movement  is  onward.  Things 
whose  being  is  limited  by  the  present  state,  obeying 
the  law  of  their  nature,  advance  to  their  maturity, 
and  then  perish.  They  attain  their  appointed  and 
ultimate  perfection,  and  then  die.  Beings  destined 
for  another,  a  higher,  and  a  more  enduring  state, 
are  each  moment  tending  towards  that  existence  for 
which  their  natures  are  formed,  and  to  which  they 
aspire.  There  is,  innate  in  man,  a  principle  which 
incessantly  yearns  for,  and  reaches  after,  a  state  of 
perfection  and  deathlessness.  He  would  fain,  at 
times,  quench  in  eternal  night  the  spark  of  immor- 
tality which  glows  in  his  breast.  A  morbid  distaste 
of  life,  or  a  pusillanimous  shrinking  from  its  evils, 
or  the  anticipation  of  some  impending  calamity  — 
in  most  cases  springing  from  a  mind  diseased,  and 

(126) 


THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT.        127 

destroying  the  power  of  self-control  —  have  tended 
to  inspire  and  to  strengthen  this  desire.  But  eternal 
sleep  is  beyond  his  reach.  He  sighs  for  it,  but  it 
heeds  not  his  moan  ;  he  invites  it,  but  it  comes  not 
at  his  bidding ;  he  inscribes  the  sentiment  over  the 
charuel  house  of  the  dead,  but  it  changes  not  their 
state  —  he  may  slay  the  mortal^  but  he  cannot  touch 
the  immortal.  The  compass  of  his  soul  points  on  to 
life.  The  long,  bleak  coast  of  eternity,  its  shores 
washed  by  the  rough  billows  of  time,  stretches  out 
before  him ;  and  towards  it,  his  bark  each  instant 
tends,  and  to  it  it  will  assuredly  arrive.  Such  is  the 
chain  that  links  man  to  the  invisible  world !  So  in- 
teresting and  important  a  being  is  he.  An  eternity 
of  happiness  or  of  misery  is  before  him  —  from  it  he 
cannot  escape  —  and  for  the  one  or  the  other,  mind 
is  educating,  and  character  is  forming. 

A  truth  kindred  in  its  solemnity  to  this,  is  the  near- 
ness of  judgment  to  every  unconverted  individual. 
To  his  eye  —  its  vision  dimmed  by  other  and  diverse 
objects  —  it  may  appear  far  remote.  Damnation 
may  seem  to  linger,  judgment  to  tarry.  Sentence 
executed  against  an  evil  work  may  appear  delayed. 
But  this  is  an  illusion  of  the  mental  eye,  a  deception 
of  Satan,  a  lie  which  the  treacherous  and  depraved 
heart  is  eager  to  believe.  JSTever  was  a  snare  of  the 
devil  more  successful  than  this.  But  death,  judg- 
ment, and  hell  are  in  the  closest  proximity  to  man ; 
nearer  than  he  has  any  conception  of.  His  path 
winds  along  the  very  precipice  that  overhangs  the 
billows  of  quenchless  flame.     Let  him  assume  what 


128        THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT. 

position  "he  may,  high  or  low,  fortified  or  iingnardecl, 
from  that  position  there  is  but  one  stei)  between  him 
and  death,  between  death  and  judgment,  between 
judgment  and  a  fixed  and  a  changeless  destiny. 
As  one  has  truly  remarked,  what  a  creature  of  time 
is  eternity  !  Time  is,  in  some  respects,  more  solemn 
and  important  than  eternity.  The  present  decides 
the  future.  The  future  is  all  that  the  present  makes 
it.  It  is  "  troubled  or  serene,  inviting  or  revolting, 
happy  or  miserable,  a  blessing  or  a  curse,  as  time, 
omnipotent  time,  ordains  it."  And  this  is  the  senti- 
ment of  the  text  which  suggests  our  subject. 
"  And  now  also  the  axe  is  laid  unto  the  root  of  the 
trees :  therefore  every  tree  which  bringeth  not  forth 
good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire." 
There  is  much  truth  in  these  words,  that  is  deeply 
and  solemnly  instructive.  They  describe  the  cha- 
racter of  an  unconverted  state,  v/arn  us  of  its  danger, 
and  predict  its  doom.  May  the  Spirit  who  speaks 
in  the  word,  be  the  Spirit  who  illumines  us,  while 
that  word  is  now  laid  open  to  our  view  ! 

What  a  true  description  have  we  here  of  the  cha- 
racter of  a  carnal,  unregenerate  soul  —  "  Every  tree 
which  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit."  I^o  pencil 
could  more  accurately  delineate  the  condition  of 
such  a  one.  There  cannot  be,  by  any  possibility 
w^hatever,  the  slightest  misconception  here.  This 
is  not  descriptive  of  a  renewed  state.  The  expres- 
sive metaphor  cannot,  by  the  most  forced  construc- 
tion, be  made  to  apply  to  a  state  of  grace.  A  living 
member  of  the  true  Vine  is  a  fruit-bearing  tree. 


THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT.        129 

The  degree  of  his  fruitfulness  is  another  question. 
It  is  with  the  reality  of  the  vital  principle  within 
him  that  he  has  first  and  mainly  to  do.  The  ques- 
tion that  takes  precedence  of  all  others  is,  his  seve- 
rance from  the  '  wild  olive  tree'  of  a  carnal,  lifeless 
nature,  and  his  grafting  into  Christ  the  true  Vine. 
Can  any  metaphor,  drawn  from  the  world  of  ima- 
gery, more  strongly  and  truly  set  forth  an  uncon- 
verted state  than  this  ?  It  is  a  tree  that  bears  no 
GOOD  fruit.  It  is  a  soul  utterly  destitute  of  every- 
thing that  is  really  good,  holy,  and  spiritual.  It 
makes  no  allusion  to  the  verdant  leaves  of  a  mere 
Christian  profession,  or  to  the  blossoms  of  good 
resolutions  and  external  reformations,  which  often 
appear  in  life.  These  may  be  many  and  fair  to  look 
upon.  But  it  speaks  of  more  than  the  leaf,  and  the 
promising  blossom ;  it  speaks  of  fruit,  and  of  good 
fruit,  and  of  good  fruit  only.  The  "tree  which 
bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit."  It  will  now  be 
proper  for  us  to  inquire  into  the  nature  and  the  pro- 
perties of  the  "good  fruit"  which  is  found  in  a  state 
of  grace,  the  absence  of  which  decides  a  state  of 
nature. 

Shall  we  begin  with  Prayer?  Who  will  not 
pronounce  this  a  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  and  in  its  nature 
and  influence,  truly  good  ?  When  Saul  of  Tarsus 
was  smitten  to  the  ground  by  the  divine  light  which 
shone  around  him, — all  his  pride  and  rebellion  in  a 
moment  prostrated,  —  the  first  accents  heard  from 
him  in  heaven,  and  announced  on  earth,  were  ac- 
cents of  prayer.    There  came  a  voice  from  the  ex- 


130         THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT. 

cellent  gloiy,  exclaiming,  "  Behold,  he  prayethJ" 
Here  was  the  first  throbbing  of  life  in  the  new-born 
soul.  Here  was  spiritual  breath,  pouring  out  itself 
into  the  bosom  of  Him  from  whom  it  came.  It  was 
more  than  the  sprouting  leaf,  more  than  the  opening 
bud,  more  than  the  full-blown  blossom  ;  it  was  pre- 
cious fruity  brought  forth  in  the  heart  by  God  the 
Eternal  Spirit.  Are  you  a  praying  soul  ?  Has  the 
prayer  ever  burst  from  your  lips,  "  God  be  merciful 
to  me  a  sinner?"  I  ask  not  if  you  are  theoretically, 
or  notionally  acquainted  with  prayer.  You  may 
be  accustomed  to  the  formal  habit  of  prayer,  and 
yet  never  pray.  You  may  eagerly  purchase,  and 
diligently  use  every  form  of  devotion  which  the 
piety  or  the  skill  of  others  has  compiled,  and  yet 
the  gladdening  intelligence  may  uev^er  have  passed 
from  lip  to  lip  in  heaven  —  ^'Behold,  he  prayeth!'' 
If  this  be  true  of  you,  you  are  that  tree  that  bringeth 
not  forth  the  good  fruit  of  'prayer.  For  years, 
perhaps  it  has  been  so.  You  have  lived  thus  far  a 
prayerless  life.  What !  no  hallowed  intercourse  with 
Heaven !  l^o  sweet  fellowship  with  the  Father ! 
Ko  yielding  to  the  attraction  of  the  throne  of  His 
grace !  What !  an  utter  stranger  to  all  this  ?  Then, 
your  life  has  been  unsanctiSed  by  praj^er  —  your 
family  unblest  by  prayer — your  business  pursued 
without  prayer.  The  dew  of  mercy  has  fallen,  and 
the  sun  of  prosperity  has  shone  upon  you ;  means 
of  grace,  and  a  thousand  influences,  have  conspired 
to  make  you  a  man  of  prayer ;  and  yet  again  and 
again  has  the  Lord  of  the  vineyard  come  seeking  in 


THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT.        131 

you  this  good  fruit,  and  found  none.  Then,  what 
scriptural,  reasonable,  valid  claim  to  the  character 
of  a  child  of  God  can  you  possibly  have,  wanting 
this,  the  first  and  the  latest  evidence  of  spiritual  life  ? 
In  the  House  which  Christ  is  rearing,  and  of  which 
he  is  the  foundation,  all  the  stones  are  living  stones. 
"Ye  also  as  lively  stones,  (or  living  stones,)  are  built 
up  a  spiritual  house."  There  are  no  dead  materials 
here.  In  the  scaffolding,  and  among  the  rubbish — 
things  not  forming  essential  parts  of  the  building 
itself — we  expect  to  find  no  life.  Yea,  solemn 
thought !  among  the  builders  themselves  there  may 
be,  there  often  are,  those  having  no  sympathy  with 
the  nature  and  character  and  ultimate  design  of  the 
structure  whose  walls  they  are  helping  to  uprear. 
But  in  every  stone,  placed  and  cemented  in  that 
building,  and  forming  an  essential  part,  there  is  life, 
— divine,  spiritual,  resurrection,  deathless  life,  flow- 
ing from  union  to  Christ,  who  has  ever  been,  and 
ever  will  be,  the  "  tried  stone,  the  precious  corner- 
stone, the  sure  foundation"  of  his  church.  Then, 
be  not  deceived ;  the  scaffolding  will  be  taken  down, 
and  the  rubbish  will  be  removed,  and  the  workmen 
will  be  dispersed,  and  this  beautiful  and  stupendous 
structure  will  present  to  the  eye  the  spectacle  of  a 
'^glorious  church,  not  having  a  spot,  or  a  wrinkle,  or 
any  such  thing,"  partaking  of  the  life,  and  radiant 
with  the  glory,  of  the  Lord  through  eternity.  Then, 
all  those  who  had  a  Christian  "name  to  live  while 
they  were  dead,"  who  were  employed  about  this 
spiritual  house,  but  formed  no  part  of  the  house 


132        THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT. 

itself,  will  have  their  portion  in  the  "  second  death.'* 
Speaking  of  the  results  of  the  Christian  ministry, 
the  Apostle  employs  this  solemn  language,  "Every 
man's  work  shall  be  made  manifest;  for  the  day 
shall  declare  it,  because  it  shall  be  revealed  by  fire ; 
and  the  fire  shall  try  every  man's  work  of  what  sort 
it  is."  These  are  searching,  thrilling  facts,  relating 
both  to  minister  and  to  people. 

But  oh  !  what  a  precious  fruit  of  the  renewed 
heart  is  true  prayer  !  If  there  is  a  single  exercise  of 
the  soul  that  places  the  fact  of  its  regeneracy  beyond 
a  doubt,  it  is  this.  Prayer,  that  comes  as  holy  fire 
from  God,  and  that  rises  as  holy  incense  to  God  — 
prayer,  that  takes  me,  with  every  want  and  infirmity, 
with  every  sin  and  sorrow,  to  the  bosom  of  the 
Father,  through  the  smitten  bosom  of  the  Son  — 
prayer,  that  sweetens  my  solitude,  that  calms  my 
perturbed  spirit,  that  weakens  the  power  of  sin, 
that  nourishes  the  desire  for  holiness,  and  that  trans- 
ports the  soul,  by  anticipation,  beyond  the  region  of 
winds,  and  storms,  and  tempests,  into  the  calmer 
presence  of  God,  where  all  is  sunshine  and  peace — 
O  what  a  wondrous  privilege  is  this !  That  there  is 
much  of  awful  mystery  yet  to  be  unravelled  in  rela- 
tion to  this  holy  exercise  of  the  soul,  we  readily 
admit.  How  prayer  operates  upon  God  we  know  not. 
That  it  can  efibct  any  alteration  in  His  purpose,  or 
change  His  will,  or  afford  Him  information,  no  one 
for  a  moment  supposes.  And  yet,  that  it  should  be 
an  ordained  medium  by  which  finite  weakness  seems 
to  overcome  Infinite   strength,  and  a  human  will 


THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT.        133 

seems  to  turn  the  Divine  will,  and  man's  shallow 
mind  seems  to  pour  knowledge  into  the  fathomless 
mind  of  God  —  that  it  should  arrest  a  threatened 
judgment,  or  remove  an  existing  evil,  or  supply  a 
present  wantT— is  a  marvel  in  which,  like  all  others 
of  Divine  revelation,  I  submit  my  reason  to  my  faith, 
receiving  and  adoring  what  my  reason  cannot,  un- 
less I  were  God,  perfectly  comprehend.  The  only 
solution  which  ,we  have  of  this  mystery  of  prayer, 
is  contained  in  these  words  :  "  lie  that  searcheth  the 
hearts  knoweth  what  is  the  mind  of  the  Spirit, 
because  he  maketh  intercession  for  the  saints  accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  God.  The  Holy  Spirit  thus  indi- 
ting just  that  petition  which  is  in  harmony  with  the 
purpose,  will,  and  love  of  Him  who  is  emphatically 
the  Hearer  and  the  Answerer  of  prayer.  What  a 
volume  might  be  composed  on  the  subject  of  prayer, 
and  yet  the  half  would  not  be  told !  A  compilation 
of  its  acMeveiyients  would  of  itself  be  the  work  of 
the  longest  life.  Blessed  are  they  who  can  enter  into 
the  spirit  of  these  words, — "I  give  myself  unto 
prayer."  "It  is  good  for  me  to  draw  nigh  unto 
God."  "  Pray  without  ceasing."  "Praying  with 
prayer."  "  If  we  ask  anything  according  to  his  will, 
he  heareth  us;  and  if  we  know  that  he  heareth  us, 
whatsoever  we  ask,  we  know  that  we  have  the  peti- 
tions that  we  desired  of  him."  Have  you,  reader, 
this  fruit  ?     Then,  restrain  not  prayer  before  God  ! 

"  Prayer  is  a  creature's  strength,  his  very  breath  and  being  ; 
Prayer  is  the  golden  key  that  can  open  the  wicket  of  Mercy; 
12 


134        THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT. 

Prayer  is  the  slender  nerve  that  moveth  the  muscles  of 
Omnipotence  : 

Wherefore,  pray,  0  creature,  for  many  and  great  are  thy 
wants  ; 

Thy  mind,  thy  conscience,  and  thy  being,  thy  rights  commend 
thee  unto  prayer, 

The  cure  of  all  cares,  the  grand  panacea  for  all  pains, 

Doubt's  destroyer,  ruin's  remedy,  the  antidote  to  all  anx- 
ieties," * 

Godly  sorrow  must  be  quoted  as  another  fruit, 
good  and  precious,  of  the  renewed  heart.  This,  also, 
is  the  product  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  indicating  the 
life  of  God  in  the  soul  of  man.  l^o  single  exercise 
of  mind  is  presented  in  the  word  as  holding  so  es- 
sential and  important  a  place  in  a  work  of  grace  as 
this :  it  is  absolutely  indispensable  as  an  element  of 
conversion.  There  cannot  be  the  subsequent  stages 
of  faith  in  Jesus,  of  righteousness,  joy,  and  peace  in 
the  Holy  Ghost,  without  the  previous  sense  and  sor- 
row of  sin.  "We  need,  on  this  interesting  subject, 
no  other  teaching  than  what  is  contained  in  these 
words  :  "  Thus  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One  that  in- 
habiteth  eternity,  w^hose  name  is  Holy :  I  dwell  in 
the  high  and  holy  place,  with  him  also  that  is  of  a 
contrite  and  humble  spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the 
humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the  contrite 
ones."  Isa.  Ivii.  15.  Again — "For  all  these  things 
hath  my  hand  made,  and  all  these  things  have  been, 
saith  the  Lord  ;  but  to  this  man  will  I  look,  even  to 
him  that  is  of  a  poor  and  contrite  spirit,  and  trem- 

*  Tapper's  Proverbial  Philosophy. 


THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT.         135 

bleth  at  my  word."  Isa.  Ixvi.  2.  Can  any  truth  be 
more  strongly  and  aflectingly  stated?  This,  too, 
was  the  doctrine  which  our  Lord  preached:  "I  say 
unto  you,  that  except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise 
perish."  And  so  did  his  Apostles,  when  they  de- 
clared, "  God  now  commandeth  all  men  everywhere 
to  repent.''  ITo  command,  no  duty  can  be  more  dis- 
tinctly, intelligently,  and  solemnly  defined  and 
urged  than  this.  But  the  inquirer  will  ask,  "  "What 
is  repentance?"  The  reply  is, —  it  is  that  secret 
grace  that  lays  the  soul  low  before  God, —  self- 
loathed  ;  sin,  abhorred,  confessed,  and  forsaken.  It 
is  the  abasement  and  humiliation  of  a  man  because 
of  the  sinfulness  of  his  nature,  and  the  sins  of  his 
life,  before  the  holy,  heart-searching  Lord  God.  The 
more  matured  believer  is  wont  to  look  upon  a  bro- 
ken and  contrite  spirit  fl.owing  from  a  sight  of  the 
cross,  as  the  most  precious  fruit  found  in  his  soul. 
No  moments  to  him  are  so  hallowed,  so  solemn,  or 
so  sweet,  as  those  spent  in  bathing  the  Saviour's 
feet  with  tears.  There  is  indeed  a  bitterness  in  the 
grief  which  a  sense  of  sin  produces  ;  and  this,  of  all 
other  bitternesses,  is  the  greatest.  He  knows  from 
experience,  that  it  is  an  "  evil  thing  and  bitter,  that 
he  has  forsaken  the  Lord  his  God."  ^Nevertheless, 
there  is  a  sweetness,  an  indescribable  sweetness,  which 
must  be  experienced  to  be  understood  —  blended 
with  the  bitterness  of  a  heart  broken  for  sin,  from  a 
sight  of  the  cross  of  the  incarnate  God.  0  precious 
tears  wept  beneath  that  cross  ! 
But  how  shall  I  portray  the  man  that  is  of  a 


136        THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT. 

humble  and  a  contrite  spirit?  He  is  one  who 
truly  knows  the  evil  of  sin,  for  he  has  felt  it.  He 
apprehends,  in  some  degree,  the  holiness  of  God's 
character,  and  the  spirituality  of  his  law,  for  he  has 
seen  it.  His  views  of  himself  have  undergone  a 
radical  change.  He  no  longer  judges  himself  as 
others  judge  him.  They  exalt  him:  he  ahaseth 
himself.  They  approve;  he  condemns.  And  in 
that  very  thing  for  which  they  most  extol  him,  he 
is  humbling  himself  in  secret.  "While  others  are 
applauding  actions,  he  is  searching  into  motives ; 
while  they  are  extolling  virtues,  he  is  sifting 
principles ;  while  they  are  weaving  the  garland  for 
his  brow,  he,  shut  in  alone  with  God,  is  covering 
himself  with  sackcloth  and  with  ashes.  O  precious 
fruit  of  a  living  branch  of  the  true  Vine  !  Is  it  any 
wonder,  then,  that  God  should  come  and  dwell 
with  such  a  one,  in  whom  is  found  something  so 
good  towards  Him  ?  0  no  !  He  delights  to  see  us 
in  this  posture  —  to  mark  a  soul  walking  before 
Him  in  a  conscious  sense  of  its  poverty,  the  eye 
drawing  from  the  cross  its  most  persuasive  motives 
to  a  deep  prostration  of  soul  at  His  feet.  Dear 
reader,  to  know  what  a  sense  of  God's  reconciling 
love  is — to  know  how  skilfully,  tenderly,  and  effec- 
tually, Jesus  binds  up  and  heals,  thy  spirit  must  be 
wounded,  and  thy  heart  must  be  broken  for  sin. 
O  it  were  worth  an  ocean  of  tears  to  experience  the 
loving  gentleness  of  Christ's  hand  in  drying  them. 
Has  God  ever  said  of  you,  as  he  said  of  Ahab, 
"See    how    he    humbleth    himself   before    me?" 


THE   AXE   LAID   AT    THE   ROOT.  137 

Search  and  ascertain  if  this  good  fruit  is  found  in 
your  soul. 

And  what  shall  be  said  of  Faith  ?  Truly  is  it 
the  crowning  grace  of  all,  and  a  most  costly  and 
precious  fruit  of  the  renewed  mind.  From  it 
springs  every  other  grace  of  a  gracious  soul.  It 
has  been  designated  the  Queen  grace,  because  a 
royal  train  ever  attends  it.  Faith  comes  not  alone, 
nor  dwells  alone,  nor  works  alone.  "Where  faith  in 
Jesus  is,  there  also  are  love,  and  joy,  and  peace,  and 
long-suffering,  and  patience,  and  godly  sorrow,  and 
every  kindred  perfection  of  the  Christian  character, 
all  blending  in  the  sweetest  harmony,  all  uniting  to 
celebrate  the  glory  of  God's  grace,  and  to  crown 
Jesus  Lord  of  all.  Is  it,  then,  surprising  that  this 
should  be  distinguished  from  all  the  others  by  the 
term  ''precious  faith?"  l^o !  that  must  needs  be 
precious  which  unfolds  the  preciousness  of  every 
thing  else.  It  makes  the  real  gold  more  precious, 
and  it  transmutes  every  thing  else  into  gold.  It  looks 
to  a  "precious  Christ."  1  Peter  ii.  7.  "It  leads  to 
his  precious  blood."  1  Peter  i.  19.  It  relies 
unqualifiedly  on  the  "  precious  promises."  2  Peter 
i.  4.  And  its  very  trial,  though  it  be  by  fire,  is 
"precious."  1  Peter,  i.  7.  It  so  changes  the  nature 
of  the  painful,  the  humiliating,  and  the  afflictive,  as 
to  turn  the  Father's  frown,  rebuke,  and  correction, 
into  some  of  the  costliest  mercies  of  life.  Precious 
grace  that  bids  me  look  upon  God  in  Christ  as 
reconciled;  and  which,  in  the  absence  of  all 
evidence  of  sight,  invites  me  to  rest  upon  the 
12  * 


138        THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT. 

veracity  of  God ! — which  takes  me  in  my  deepest 
poverty  to  Jesus,  my  true  Joseph,  having  in  his 
hands,  and  at  his  disposal,  all  the  treasures  of 
grace  and  glory  ?  These  are  some  of  the  charac- 
teristics of  this  royal  grace.  "Being  justified  by 
faith,  we  have  peace  with  God  through  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  By  faith  I  can  not  only  say  that 
Jesus  died  for  sinners,  but  that  he  died  for  me. 
Faith  makes  the  great  atonement  mine.  Faith 
appropriates  to  itself  all  that  is  in  Christ.  It  lays 
its  hand  upon  the  covenant  of  grace,  and  exclaims, 
"All  things  are  mine."  Oh  !  to  see  one  bowed  to 
the  dust  under  a  sense  of  sin,  yet  by  faith  travelling 
to  the  blood  and  righteousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
for  salvation,  and  finding  it  too  —  to  mark  the 
power  of  this  grace  in  sustaining  the  soul  in  deep 
waters,  holding  it  up  in  perilous  paths — is  a  spectacle 
on  which  God  Himself  must  look  down  wdth 
ineffable  delight, 

The  application  of  this  truth,  reader,  must  be  to 
your  conscience — "  Dost  thou  believe  in  the  Son  of 
God?"  Have  you  "  like  precious  faith"  with  that 
which  we  have  attempted  to  describe?  Alas!  it 
may  be  that  you  are  that  tree  which  bringeth  not 
forth  this  good  fruit.  Yours  may  be  a  species  of  fruit 
somewhat  resembling  it ;  but  be  not  deceived  in  a 
matter  so  momentous  as  this.  "  Thou  believest 
there  is  one  God :  thou  doest  w^ell,  the  devils  also 
believe,  and  tremble."  That  is,  you  assent  to  the 
first  proposition  of  true  religion — the  being  of  God ; 
this  is  w^ell,  because  your  judgment  assents  to  that 


THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT.        139 

which  is  true.  And  still  you  have  not  gone  beyond 
the  faith  of  demons  !  They  believe,  and  yet  horror 
inconceivable  is  but  the  effect  of  the  forced  assent 
of  their  minds  to  the  truth  ■ — they  "tremble."  O 
look  well  to  your  faith !  There  must  be  in  true 
faith,  not  only  an  assent,  but  also  a  consent.  In 
believing  to  the  saving  of  the  soul,  we  not  only 
assent  to  the  truth  of  the  word,  but  we  also  consent 
to  take  Christ  as  he  is  there  set  forth  —  the  sinner's 
reconciliation  with  God.  A  mere  intellectual 
illumination,  or  a  historical  belief  of  the  facts  of 
the  Bible,  will  never  place  the  soul  beyond  the 
reach  of  hell,  nor  within  the  region  of  heaven. 
There  is  a  "  form  of  knowledge,  "  as  well  as  a 
"form  of  godliness  ;"  and  both  existing  apart  from 
vital  religion  in  the  soul,  constitute  a  "vain 
religion."  Again  we  press  upon  you  the  important 
inquiry.  Have  you  the  "faith  of  God's  elect  ?"  Is 
it  the  "  faith  that  has  stained  the  glory  of  merit, 
and  laid  the  pride  of  intellect  in  the  dust  ?  Is  it 
rooted  in  Christ  ?  Has  it  transformed  you,  in  some 
degree,  into  the  opposite  of  what  3'ou  once  were  ? 
Are  any  of  the  "  precious  fruits"  of  the  Spirit  put 
forth  in  your  life  ?  Is  Jesus  precious  to  your  soul  ? 
And  to  walk  in  all  circumstances  humbly  with  God, 
is  it  the  earnest  desire  of  your  heart  ?  If  there  is 
no  sorrow  for  sin,  no  going  out  of  yourself  to 
Jesus,  no  fruits  of  holiness,  in  some  degree,  appear- 
ing, then  is  yours  but  a  '-'dead  faith."  James  ii. 
17.  Deadj  because  it  is  a  part  and  parcel  of  a 
nature   "  dead  in  trespasses  and    in    sins, —  dead 


140  THE   AXE   LAID   AT    THE    ROOT. 

because  it  is  not  the  fruit  of  the  quickening  Spirit, 
— dead^  because  it  is  inoperative,  even  as  the  hfe- 
less  root  transmits  no  vitality  and  moisture  to  the 
tree,  —  dead,  because  it  never  can  bring  you  to 
eternal  hfe.  Of  what  value,  then,  is  it  ?  Cut  it 
down !  why  cumbereth  it  the  ground !  If,  then, 
you  have  never  brought  forth  the  good  fruit  of 
grayer,  and  repentance,  and  faith,  you  are  yet  in 
the  old  nature  of  sin,  of  rebellion,  and  of  death. 

We  are  now  conducted  to  a  truly  solemn  branch 
of  the  subject  under  discussion  :  viz.  — the  imminent 
danger  to  which  an  uncoriverted  state  is  exposed. 
"And  now  also  behold  the  axe  is  laid  unto  the 
root  of  the  tree :  therefore  every  tree  which  bring- 
eth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast 
into  the  fire."  Here  is  an  unequivocal  declaration 
of  the  over-hanging  judgment  of  Christless  souls. 
Their  "  damnation  slumbereth  not."  It  is  "  ready 
to  be  revealed."  It  is  not  that  such  a  state  is 
advancing  to  a  judgment,  so  much  as  its  closest 
proximity  to  that  judgment,  that  constitutes  the 
most  solemn  feature.  Were  you  to  repair  to  an 
adjacent  plantation,  and  observe  the  woodman's 
axe  lying  by  the  side  of  some  lifeless  oak,  you 
would  naturally  conclude — "  here  is  the  preparation 
for  removal ;  its  doom  is  fixed ;  the  axe  is  laid  at 
its  root;"  and  you  would  naturally  expect  soon  to 
see  it  level  with  the  earth.  Thou  art  that  dead  "tree 
that  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit !"  At  the  root 
of  your  dead  faith,  and  lifeless  profession,  and 
impenitent,  prayerless,  godless,  Christless  life,  the 


THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT.        141 

axe  of  divine  judgment  is  lying,  ready  to  fell  you 
to  the  ground.  There  it  lies,  waiting  but  the 
lifted  hand  of  Justice,  at  the  command  of  the  long- 
suffering,  but  sin-avenging  God  —  "  Cut  it  down  1" 
"  Their  judgment  now  of  a  long  time  lingereth 
not."  For  a  long  time  that  judgment  has  been  in 
abeyance  —  O  how  long !  —  but  now  it  "  lingereth 
not."  Behold  ''■now  also  the  axe  is  laid."  And 
laid  where  ?  Not  at  the  withered,  fruitless  tranches 
merely  :  these,  indeed,  the  Lord  often  severs.  He 
removes  gospel  privileges,  or  withdraws  great 
mercies,  or  cuts  off  peculiar  and  choice  blessings ; 
sickness,  bereavement,  reverses,  enter  the  domestic 
circle,  once  bright  and  happy,  throwing  the  pall  of 
vacancy,  of  gloom,  and  of  desolateness  over  all. 
In  this  way  the  Lord  sometimes  lays  the  axe  at 
the  pleasant  branches  of  creature  blessing  and 
comfort,  and  they  fall  before  our  eye,  leaving  the 
heart  bleeding,  and  brooding  in  gloomy  loneliness 
over  its  loss. 

But  the  most  alarming  view  of  this  truth  is  its 
personal  relation  to  ourselves.  The  axe  of  God's 
judgment  is  lying  at  the  root.  In  the  due  considera- 
tion of  this  fact,  we  lose  sight  of  others,  and  con- 
centrate all  our  thought  and  anxiety  upon  ourselves. 
It  becomes  now  a  truth  of  increased  magnitude  and 
solemnity ;  because  no  longer  thinking  of  the 
branches  which  God  has  removed,  or  may  yet  remove 
from  us,  we  are  appalled  by  the  irresistible  conviction 
—  "J  must  die !  the  axe  is  lying  at  the  root.''  Ah ! 
this  is  the  most  calamitous  of  all  divine  judgments. 


142        THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT. 

This  is  the  climax  of  horrors  !  This  is  the  filling 
to  the  brim  of  the  cup  of  woe.  The  loss  of  wife, 
or  children,  or  property,  or  health,  has  often  resulted 
in  untold  blessings  to  the  loser.  It  has  led  him  to 
seek  and  to  find  all  that  he  had  lost,  and  infinitely 
more,  in  Christ.  The  Eternal  Spirit  has  made  it  the 
means  and  the  occasion  of  his  conversion  to  God. 
And  thus  while  he  has  mourned  in  bitterness  the 
severance  of  the  pleasant  branches,  he  has  rejoiced 
with  a  joy  unspeakable,  in  the  mercy  that  has  spared, 
and  in  the  grace  that  has  quickened,  the  root.  And 
is  it  so,  that  the  beloved  of  our  hearts  must  die 
before  we  can  live?  Must  bough  after  bough  of 
fragrant  blossom,  and  of  pleasant  fruit,  be  severed, 
ere  we  are  led  to  give  to  God  our  hearts  and  to 
Christ  our  service  ?  Must  the  idol  be  crumbled, 
and  its  shrine  be  broken  down,  ere  the  Holy  Spirit 
enters  to  re-create,  renew,  and  occupy  us  for  himself? 
Yes,  mourning  reader,  it  is  often  so ! 

*'  For  us  they  languish,  and  for  us  they  die.'' 

O  happy  for  thee,  if  now  the  vacant  niche  in  thy 
heart  is  filled  by  him  who  indeed  "died  for  us,  that 
we  might  live  through  him."  Yes,  judgment  is 
suspended  over  the  fruitless  tree.  The  axe  is  lying 
at  the  root.  And  when  a  man  loses  himself,  it  is 
the  direst  loss  of  all.  "  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if 
he  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?"  And 
what  matter  if  a  man  lose  all  that  the  world  esteems 
good,  if  yet  he  himself  is  found  in  Christ !  He  may 
loose  all,  and  yet  save  himself.     Ah!   better  that 


THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT.        143 

every  branch,  and  leaf,  and  blossom  should  die,  than 
that  the  root  should  be  for  ever  destroyed. 

HhQ  periods  at  v/hicli  the  state  of  human  probation 
ceases,  are  various.  We  often  behold  the  young  fall 
suddenly  before  the  axe  of  death.  The  spectacle  is 
peculiarly  affecting ;  awfully  so,  if  there  is  no  hope  ! 
Picture  it  to  your  mind.  The  sun  had  scarcely  risen 
ere  it  set.  It  went  down  whilst  it  was  yet  day.  The 
morning  of  life  had  just  dawned,  gilding  the  horizon 
with  the  golden  hues  of  promise,  when  lo  !  the  night 
of  the  grave  drew  rapidly  on,  and  quenched  all  in 
darkness !  There  were  health  and  beauty,  vivacity 
and  vigour.  Hope  predicted,  and  the  world 
promised,  much.  A  thousand  avenues  proffered  to 
guide  the  youthful  traveller  to  the  elysium  of  happi- 
ness. The  morning  rejoiced  over  his  head,  and 
everything  around  him  wore  a  smiling  appearance. 
He  traversed  the  new-born  world,  now  bursting  into 
beauty  upon  his  view,  cropping  the  unblown  flower, 
and  drinking  the  untasted  spring.  With  spirits 
buoyant  as  the  morning  air,  health  blooming  on  his 
cheek,  genius  sparkling  in  his  eye,  visions  of  bliss 
floating  before  his  imagination,  he  set  out  upon  the 
journey  of  life.  But  the  axe  is  at  the  root !  It  rises 
— it  strikes  —  and  in  a  moment  the  "strong  staff  is 
broken,  and  the  beautiful  rod  !"_  Fearful,  if  on  that 
tree  "  no  good  fruit"  were  found !  Happy,  if  early 
ripe  for  heaven ! 

Such  a  one  I  knew.  N'ature  had  cast  him  in  her 
finest  mould.  Possessed  of  a  form  of  exquisite 
symmetry,  a  countenance  pencilled  with  lines  of  per- 


144        THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT, 

feet  beauty  and  mirroring  the  greatness  of  his  soul, 
art  in  her  noblest  chisellings  never  embodied  the 
idea  of  a  mere  perfect  man.  Learning  enriched  his 
mind;  travel  added  to  his  rich  stores  of  thought 
and  information,  and  heightened  the  polish  and  the 
grace  of  his  address ;  a  poetic  genius,  perfectly 
classic,  imparted  an  indescribable  tenderness  and 
delicacy  to  his  sentiments ;  while  religion,  heaven- 
born  religion,  threw  its  sanctity  and  its  charm  over 
all.  On  his  return  from  mingling  amidst  the  classic 
scenes  of  Homer  and  of  Virgil,  and  the  yet  more 
thrilling  and  hallowed  scenes  of  Christ  and  of  his 
apostles,  he  was  invested  with  the  holy  office  of  the 
Christian  ministry.  In  its  sacred  duties  he  was  per- 
mitted for  a  while  to  engage ;  admiring  multitudes 
hanging  on  the  lips  that  spake  so  mellifluently  of 
Christ  and  of  his  cross.  But  fell  disease  was  insid- 
iously feeding  at  the  root  of  this  beautiful  cedar  of 
Lebanon  ;  and  when  life  was  the  sweetest  and  the 
brightest,  and  hope  spake  most  flatteringly  to  his 
ear;  and  when,  from  the  precious  stores  of  thought 
and  sentiment,  his  fascinating  voice  flung  their  trea- 
sures the  most  lavishingly  around  him,  at  that 
moment  he  sickened,  and  drooped,  and  died  !  The 
skilful  hand  of  affection  has  reared  a  splendid  monu- 
ment to  his  memory,  the  materials  of  which  his  own 
richly  furnished  mind  had  supplied.*  But  his  true 
and  imperishable  record  is  on  high. 

But  why  recall  the  memory  of  the  young  and  the 

*  Griffin's  Remains.     New  York. 


THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT.         145 

beautiful  who  have  passed  away  ?  To  give,  if  possi- 
ble, increased  force  and  solemnity  to  the  exhortation 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  addresses  to  the  young, 
"Remember  now  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy 
youth.''  Remember  Ilim  who  created  you,  and  who 
created  you  for  his  glory, — who  fashioned  your  form, 
and  who  endowed  your  mind,  and  who  placed  you 
in  your  present  position  in  life,  be  it  of  rank  and 
influence,  or  of  lowliness  and  obscurity.  Remember 
him  as  a  holy,  sin-hating  God,  and  that  you  stand 
to  Him  in  the  relation  of  a  fallen  creature,  impure 
and  unrighteous,  impotent  and  hostile,  unworthy  to 
live,  unfit  to  die.  Remember  what  He  must  have 
done,  and  what  He  must  do  for  you  if  ever  that 
relation  is  changed,  and  you  become  a  new  creature, 
an  adopted  child,  an  heir  of  glory.  Remember  the 
strong  and  inalienable  claims  which  He  has  upon 
you — claims  which  He  will  never  relax  nor  revoke. 
He  who  commanded  the  first  of  the  ripe  fruits,  and 
creatures  of  the  first  year,  to  be  ofiered  to  Him,  bids 
you  remember  Him  in  the  days  of  your  youth !  — 
your  first  days,  and  your  best,  while  the  body  is  in 
health,  and  the  mind  is  vigorous,  and  all  the  facul- 
ties of  the  soul  fit  you  especially  for  His  service  and 
His  glory.  Oh  remember  Him  novj,  ere  other  things 
and  other  objects  come  and  occupy  the  place  which 
belongs  to  God  alone.  Remember  your  breath  is  in 
His  hands ;  that  the  axe  of  judgment  is  lying  at  the 
root  of  the  green  tree  as  well  as  the  dry,  that  the 
blooming  flower  and  the  young  sapling  are  often  cut 
down  long  ere  the  stately  cedar  or  venerable  oak  bows 
13 


146  THE   AXE    LAID   AT   THE    ROOT. 

itself  to  the  earth.  Build  not  upon  length  of  days 
—  plume  not  yourself  with  the  laurels  which  pro- 
found learning,  or  hrilliant  talent,  or  successful 
enterprise  may  already  have  won  for  you.  See  how 
soon  they  fade  upon  the  brow  which  they  adorn ! 
Think  of  Kirke  White,  and  of  Spencer,  and  of 
TJrquhart,  and  of  M'Cheyne,  and  of  Taylor,  and 
of  Swaine,  and  of  Grifein — those  beautiful  cedars 
of  God's  Lebanon, — how  verdant  and  how  fragrant 
were  the  honours  which  went  down  with  them  to 
the  tomb  !  But  they  early  lived  in  the  Lord,  and 
unreservedly  for  the  Lord, — and  the  Lord  took  them 
early  to  live  with  himself  for  ever.  They  gave  to 
Him  the  first  and  the  best,  and  He  took  them  the 
first  to  glory,  and  has  given  them  the  best  of  glory. 
Who  would  not  live  and  die  as  did  they  ? 

"  It  matters  little  at  what  hour  o'  the  day 
The  righteous  fall  asleep.     Death  cannot  come 
To  those  untimely  who  are  fit  to  die. 
The  less  of  this  cold  world,  the  more  of  heaven,  ^ 
The  briefer  life,  the  earlier  immortality." 

Build,  then,  on  nothing  beneath  the  sky  save  an 
immediate  and  undoubted  interest  in  Christ.  Until 
you  are  born  again,  you  are  in  peril;  until  God 
possesses  your  heart,  as  to  any  real  holiness,  and 
usefulness,  and  happiness,  your  life  is  a  perfect  blank. 
You  live  to  yourself;  and  not  to  live  to  Him  who 
created  you,  who  upholds  you,  and  who  will  soon 
judge  you — is  a  poor  life  indeed.  O  give  to  Christ 
the  golden  period  of  your  life  !  Bind  the  early  sacri- 
fice upon  the  altar.     Lay  upon  it  the  first  fruits  — 


THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  HOOT.        147 

Jesus  is  worthy  of  your  young  affections,  and  of  the 
earliest  development  of  your  mind.  O  what  a  trea- 
sure is  Christ!  To  begin  life  with  Christ  in  the 
heart,  is  to  begin  with  a  radiant  morning — the  sure 
prelude  of  a  smiling  day,  and  of  a  cloudless  evening ! 
Others  are  cut  down  in  the  meridian  of  life.  With 
them,  the  romance  of  youth  is  past ;  the  ideal  has 
vanished,  succeeded  by  the  sober  reality.  Immersed 
in  its  cares,  entangled  with  its  perplexities,  or  eager 
of  its  gains,  its  honours,  and  its  pleasures,  they  heed 
not  the  sun's  altitude  ;  they  watch  not  how  far  it 
has  declined  upon  the  dial  of  human  life,  and  how 
near  its  setting  is  !  With  noiseless  wing,  time  pur- 
sues its  flight,  and  borne  imperceptibly  along  upon 
the  rapid  current  of  human  a,ffairs,  they  realize  not 
that  they  were  born  and  are  destined  for  another 
world,  until  they  touch  its  confines ! 

*'  And  while  the  scene  on  either  side 
Presents  a  gaudy,  flattering  show, 
They  gaze,  in  fond  amusement  lost, 
Nor  think  to  what  a  world  they  go." 

A  few,  and  but  a  few,  are  spared  to  the  winter  of 
old  age.  The  fruitless  tree  of  many  years,  and  of 
long  and  unwearied  culture,  is  permitted  to  stand 
as  a  monument  of  God's  long-suffering  patience. 
The  tints  of  autumn  are  upon  its  once  green  foliage 
and  its  branches  are  withered  and  decayed.  Lono- 
has  God  waited  for  the  good  fruit,  but  none  ha^ 
appeared.  He  has  looked  year  after  year,  but  has 
looked  in  vain.     Judgment  and  mercy  have  been 


148  THE   AXE   LAID    AT   THE   ROOT. 

sent,  and  both  have  alike  proved  ineffectnah  "No 
alarm,  no  seriousness,  no  reflection,  no  repentance, 
no  prayer,  have  given  evidence  that  within  the  man 
there  dwelt  a  Uvmg  soul.  God  has  smitten,  hut  he 
has  not  returned ; — God  has  smiled,  but  he  has  not 
loved  !  Oh  where  is  there  a  spectacle  in  human  life 
more  awful  and  affecting  than  a  fruitless,  uncon- 
verted old  age?  To  see  the  hoary  head  found  in 
the  way  of  unrighteousness,  worldliness,  carnality, 
frivolity,  hardness  of  heart  and  unbelief,  instead  of 
spirituality  and  sobriety,  contrition  and  faith,  is 
melancholy  indeed.  There  is  a  worldly  old  age,  and 
a  sensual  old  age,  and  a  frivolous  old  age,  and  a 
sceptical  old  age,  and  an  impenitent  old  age.  And 
there  is,  on  the  other  hand,  a  heavenly-minded  old 
age,  and  a  verdant,  fruitful  old  age,  and  a  happy  old 
age  1  Dear  aged  reader,  which  is  thine  ?  Thou  art 
approaching  the  end  of  all  earthly  things ;  thou 
standest  upon  the  borders  of  the  invisible  world ; 
soon  its  tremendous  realities  will  open  upon  you; 
this  may  be  the  last  appeal ;  the  grasp  of  death  may 
be  near  thee  now,  and  mercy  may  be  about  to  utter 
her  eternal  farewell.  My  heart's  desire  and  prayer 
to  God  for  you  is,  that  you  may  be  saved,  even  at 
the  eleventh  hour.  And  O,  should  there  appear, 
even  now,  in  the  exercise  of  God's  rich  and  sovereign 
grace,  the  puttings  forth  of  godly  sorrow,  and  the 
buddings  of  precious  faith  in  thy  soul  —  if  now,  at 
even-tide,  it  should  be  light,  —  "thy  light  rising  in 
obscurity,  and  thy  darkness  as  the  noon-day" — then, 
remember  for  your  encouragement,  the  labourers 


THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT.      \ 

who  were  welcomed  into  the  vineyard  at  the  ele\ 
hour ;  and  think  of  the  expiring  malefactor,  w\ 
amidst  the  very  pangs  of  dissolving  nature,  aua 
when  his  spirit  trembled  on  the  verge  of  eternity, 
uttered  his  cry  for  mercy,  in  penitence  and  faith,  and 
was  heard,  and  was  forgiven,  and  was  received  up 
into  glory  —  and  press  the  truth  to  thy  heart,  that 
yet — there  is  hope  for  thee  ! 

And  what  is  the  final  end  of  the  "  tree  that  bear- 
eth  no  good  fruit?"  It  is  "hewn  down  and  cast 
into  the  fire."  Even  as  a  tree  marked  for  judgment, 
it  is  "  hewn  down."  Sometimes  it  is  by  a  gradual 
process  of  decay,  long  wasting  disease  bringing 
down  the  sinner  to  the  grave.  At  other  times  it  is 
sudden^ — a  single  stroke  lays  him  low.  "  His  breath 
goeth  forth,  he  returneth  to  his  earth ;  in  that  very 
day  his  thoughts  perish."  All  his  *  thoughts'  of 
long  life,  his  '  thoughts'  of  worldly  acquisition,  his 
'thoughts'  of  human  fame,  his  *  thoughts'  of 
domestic  happiness,  "  in  that  very  day  his  thoughts 
perish.  A  slight  pressure  upon  the  brain,  a  single 
pulse  ceasing  at  the  heart,  a  few  moments'  suspension 
of  air,  and  the  soul  is  gone,  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye — gone  to  meet  its  God!  The  fruitless  tree  is 
hewn  down ! 

And  what  follows  ?  Shall  we  lift  the  veil  ?  Christ 
has  done  it.  "  Cast  ye  the  unprofitable  servant  into 
outer  darkness,  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing 
of  teeth."  O  horror  of  horrors  !  O  death  of  deaths  ! 
There  they  lie  !  —  They  roll  in  billows  of  flame  !  — 
they  gnaw  their  chains  in  agony !  —  they  torment 
13* 


150        THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT. 

each  other ! — they  reproach  themselves !  —  they  call 
for  water ! — they  shriek  in  despair  ! — they  blaspheme 
God  ! — they  invoke  names  once  dear  to  them  ! — they 
stretch  out  their  hands!  —  they  sink,  deeper  and 
deeper,  and  deeper,  exclaiming,  *'  This  worm,  this 
flame,  this  agony, /or  ever  —  for  ever!"  Reader, 
there  is  a  Hell  !  It  is  written — ah  !  and  it  is  written 
with  the  pen  of  Heaven  —  ^'The  wicked  shall  go 
away  into  everlasting  punishment."  It  is  not  the 
eternal  sleep  of  the  infidel  —  that  is  a  dream.  It  is 
not  the  annihilation  of  the  universalist  —  that  is  a 
lie.  It  is  the  hell  of  fearful  torments  which  the 
Bible  reveals  just  as  clearly  as  the  heaven  of  inef- 
fable delight.  Yes,  there  is  a  hell.  Every  moment 
its  door  opens  and  shuts  upon  some  Christless  sinner, 
entering  to  return  no  more  —  for  ever.  ^' And  now 
also  the  axe  is  laid  unto  the  root  of  the  trees :  there- 
fore every  tree  which  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit 
is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire.''  Eternal  ages 
of  torment  will  produce  no  alleviation  and  no  change. 
"If  the  tree  fall  toward  the  south,  or  toward  the 
north,  in  the  place  where  the  tree  falleth,  there  it 
shall  be"  —  and  that  to  all  eternity.  Reader,  you 
must  be  cut  down,  either  by  the  sword  of  God's 
Spirit,  or  by  the  axe  of  God's  judgment.  Which  ? 
Many  will  read  these  pages  to  whom  this  awful 
character  will  not  apply.  They  are  "trees  of  right- 
eousness, of  the  Lord's  own  right  hand  planting." 
Removed  from  the  wilderness  of  unrenewed  nature, 
sovereign  grace  has  placed  you  in  the  Lord's  garden  ; 
if  this  be  so,  then  upon  you  rests  the  high  obligation 


THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT.         151 

to  aim  after  much  fraitfulness.  Be  not  satisfied  with 
the  low  standard  of  the  day.  We  are  surrounded 
by  a  worldly,  time-serving,  man-pleasing,  temporiz- 
ing profession  of  Christianity.  Many  are  dead 
while  they  live.  There  are  the  leaves  of  Christian 
profession,  but  where  are  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  ? 
Rise  superior  to  this  standard,  and  dare  to  be 
singular  for  the  Lord.  Remember  that  Christ  is 
thy  "  Green  Fir  Tree  from  whom  is  thy  fruit  found." 
All  contrition  for  sin  flows  from  a  sight  of  his  cross; 
all  obedience  to  his  commands,  from  a  sense  of  his 
love ;  all  victory  over  temptation,  from  the  power  of 
his  grace ;  and  all  consolation  in  sorrow,  from  the 
sympathy  of  his  heart.  Perhaps  you  are  bearing 
fruit  in  the  midst  of  deep  trial.  Ah !  never  wast 
thou,  it  may  be,  so  fruitful  as  now !  Thy  Father 
never  saw  his  image  in  thee  so  fairly  reflected  — 
Jesus  never  saw  his  grace  in  thee  so  triumphant  — 
the  Spirit  never  beheld  his  work  so  evident  in  thy 
soul  as  now.  Thou  art  bringing  forth  much  precious 
fruit  beneath  the  pruning  hand  of  the  heavenly 
Husbandman.  Come,  then,  and  rest  thy  weary 
spirit  —  and  satiate  thy  hungry  soul  under  the 
"  Green  Fir  Tree."  Listen  how  sweetly  he  invites 
thee — "I  am  like  a  green  fir  tree ;  from  me  is  thy 
fruit  found."  You  are  one  with  that  Tree,  if  you 
are  a  living  branch.  You  are  invited  to  come  and 
partake  of  its  fruit,  and  to  sit  down  under  its 
shadow.  Its  leaves  are  for  thy  healing,  its  fruit  is 
for  thy  nourishing,  its  branches  are  for  thy  refresh- 
ing.    All  that  Christ  is,  belongs  to  you.     He  is  the 


152        THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT. 

G-reen  Fir  Tree — "  the  sarae  yesterday,  and  to  day, 
and  for  ever."  E"o  circumstance  and  no  event  can 
possibly  effect  any  change  in  him.  All  that  he  ever 
was,  as  portrayed  in  the  word,  he  is  now,  and  will 
continue  to  be.  His  word  is  faithful,  his  ti'uth  is 
firm,  his  love  is  unchangeable.  Jesus  is  the  Ever- 
green—  others  may  change,  but  he,  never!  He 
remains  the  same  rich,  loving,  kind,  true,  and 
precious  Brother,  Friend,  and  Saviour,  when  the 
frosts  and  the  snows  of  wintry  adversity  have  con- 
gealed every  spring,  and  have  mantled  with  gloom 
every  object  of  creature  good.  Repair  to  him  when 
thou  mayest,  thou  wilt  find  him  the  G-reen  Fir  Tree 
—  always  the  same.  May  the  sentiments  of  the 
sweet  poet  be  those  of  every  reader ! — 

"  Sweet  is  the  voice  which  now  invites, 
And  bids  me  shelter  take 
In  Christ,  the  living  Tree,  whose  leaves 
No  storms  shall  ever  shake. 

"  Under  his  shade  I  would  abide, 
And  there  thy  love,  dear  Lord, 
Shall,  to  this  weary  heart  of  mine, 
Rich  stores  of  peace  afford. 

"  With  him  my  life  is  hid  in  God, 
From  him  my  fruit  is  found  ; 
Can  aught,  then,    tear  me  from  his  love, 
Can  aught  my  hope  confound  ? 

"  Ah,  no  !  ho  is  the  *  Green  Fir  Tree,' 
Firm  as  a  rock  he  stands  ; 
Our  hope  as  firm — to  him  we're  bound 
By  love's  electing  bands. 


THE  AXE  LAID  AT  THE  ROOT.        153 

When  they  who  'neath  his  shade  do  dwell, 

*As  corn  revive  shall  they/ 
Like  lily  and  the  vine  shall  grow, 

But  not  like  them  decay. 

■  But  like  unto  Mount  Lebanon, 

They  shall  their  branches  spread  : 
And  sweetest  fragrance  breathe  through  Christ, 

Their  life,  their  rest,  their  head." 


CHAPTER  YI. 

BROKEN    CISTERNS. 

*'  My  people  have  committed  two  evils ;  they  have  forsaken  me,  the 
fountain  of  living  waters,  and  have  hewed  them  out  cisterns,  broken 
cisterns,  that  can  hold  no  water." — Jer.  ii.  13. 

Sin  has  created  a  deep  and  an  agonizing  void  in 
the  soul  of  man.  There  was  a  period — Oh  that  its 
joys  should  have  been  enshrouded  in  a  cloud  so 
dark ! — when  every  affection  and  aspiration  of  the 
human  mind  soared  tow^ards,  and  centred  in,  God. 
Possessing  a  nature  assimilating  with  the  Divine 
nature,  and  a  heart  capable  of  loving  God  with  a 
compass  and  a  grasp  of  affection  worthy  of  its 
object  —  dwelling  near  the  habitation  of  His  holi- 
ness, and  holding  the  closest  communion  with  Him 
in  all  the  privacy  of  his  walk,  man  sought  and 
desired  no  other  happiness  than  that  which  flowed 
from  God,  the  "Fountain  of  living  waters." 
God  was  in  all  his  mercies,  and  all  his  mercies  led 
him  to  God.  But  a  woful  change  has  taken  place. 
A  fearful  chasm  has  succeeded.  The  moment  sin 
invaded  paradise,  touching  with  its  deadly  taint 
this  glorious  and  happy  creature,  he  swerved  from 
the  centre  of  his  repose,  and  becoming  sensible  of 

an  instantaneous  loss,  his  restless  and  craving  soul 

(154) 


BROKEN   CISTERNS.  155 

went  in  quest  of  a  substitute  to  occupy  the  void 
which  his  guilt  had  created.  In  a  word,  he  forsook 
the  Fountain  for  the  cistern,  the  Creator  for  the 
creature ;  and  God,  in  return,  abandoned  him  to  all 
the  dire  consequences  of  so  foolish  and  so  fatal  an 
exchange.  To  the  contemplation  of  this  state,  as 
it  is  portrayed  in  the  history  of  the  unrenewed 
mind,  let  us  now  bend  our  thoughts,  gathering  from 
it  those  lessons  of  wisdom  which  it  is  so  eminently 
calculated  to  supply. 

The  first  great  truth  that  meets  us  is,  God's  figu- 
rative revelation  of  Himself — "Me,  the  Fountain 
of  living  waters."  Do  we  predicate  this  of  the  Fa- 
ther ?  Then,  here  is  a  truth  which,  for  its  vastness 
and  its  preciousness,  is  surpassed  by  no  other.  It 
meets  a  phase  of  Christian  experience  not  often 
glanced  at.  We  allude  to  the  secret  tendency  which 
there  is  in  us  to  a  partiality  in  our  estimate  of  the 
cost  of  redemption.  There  is  a  proneness  to  keep 
out  of  sight  the  interest  which  the  Father  took  in 
the  salvation  of  His  church ;  and  to  look  upon  the 
work  of  the  Son  as  though  it  originated  and  pur- 
chased all  the  love,  and  the  benevolence,  and  the 
allurings  which  God  the  Father  is  represented  as 
manifesting  towards  his  revolted  but  recovered  fami- 
ly. You  have  studied  but  imperfectly  the  wonders 
of  redemption  —  have  but  partially  seen  its  glories 
—  with  shallow  line  have  fathomed  its  depth  — and 
with  feeble  pinion  have  soared  to  its  height,  if  you 
have  not  been  accustomed  to  associate  the  Father's 
purpose  of  grace  and  love  with  every  step  which  the 


15G  BROKEN   CISTERNS. 

Son  took  in  working  out  the  recovery  of  a  lost 
church.  So  wont  are  we  to  fix  our  admiring  and 
adoring  gaze  upon  the  incarnate  Son  —  so  wont  to 
entwine  our  exclusive  affection  around  him  who  for 
us  '  loved  not  his  life  unto  the  death,'  as  to  come 
short  of  the  stupendous  and  animating  truth,  that 
all  the  love,  grace,  and  wisdom  which  appear  so  con- 
spicuous and  so  resplendent  in  salvation,  have  their 
fountain-head  in  the  heart  of  God  the  Father !  May 
we  not  trace  to  the  holding  of  this  partial  view,  those 
hard  and  injurious  thoughts  of  his  character,  and 
those  crude  and  gloomy  interpretations  of  his  go- 
vernment, which  so  many  of  us  bear  towards  him  ? 
And  was  it  not  this  contracted  and  shadowy  con- 
ception of  the  Father  which  Jesus  so  pointedly,  yet 
so  gently  rebuked  in  his  disciple,  "If  ye  had  known 
me,  ye  should  have  known  my  Father  also :  and 
from  henceforth  ye  know  him  and  have  seen  him." 
To  this,  his  incredulous  disciple  still  objected,  "  Lord, 
show  us  the  Father,  and  it  sufiiceth  us.  Jesus  saith 
unto  him.  Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you,  and 
yet  hast  thou  not  known  me,  Philip?  He  that 
hath  seen  me,  hath  seen  the  Father;  how  sayest 
thou  then.  Show  us  the  Father  ?"  What  further 
testimony,  and  what  more  conclusive  proof  need  we  ? 
"He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father^  Do 
we  see  the  glory  of  Jesus  beaming  through  the  at- 
tempted concealment  of  his  humanity  ?  —  it  is  the 
glory  of  the  Father  shining.  Do  we  follow  Jesus  in 
his  walks  of  mercy,  and  behold  him  lavishing  the 
exuberance  of  his  tenderness  and  sympathy  upon 


BROKEN   CISTERNS.  157 

the  objects  of  misery  and  want  who  thronged  his 
way  ?  —  strange  though  it  may  seem,  yet^  in  those 
dispL^ys  of  love,  and  in  those  meltings  of  compas- 
sion, and  in  that  voice  of  mercy,  and  in  those  tears 
of  sympathy,  we  see  and  hear  the  Father  himself. 
Do  we  contemplate  the  love  of  Jesus,  labouring,  suf- 
fering, dying?  —  we  see  \\\q  Fathers  love  in  equal 
vastness,  strength,  and  intensity.  He  that  hath  thus 
seen  the  Son,  hath  also  seen  the  Father. 

"Would  we  breathe  a  syllable,  or  pen  a  line,  tend- 
ing to  lessen  your  attachment  to  the  Son  ?   God  for- 
bid !   Rather  would  we  heighten  your  love,  and  ele- 
vate it  to  a  standard  never  reached  before.     AVe 
claim  for  Christ  your  highest  admiration  and  your 
supreme  affection;  and  nnhesitatingl}'  declare,  that 
there  is  not  an  object  in  the  universe  so  worthy  of 
them  as  he.     But  we  are  jealous   of  the  Father's 
glory ;  and  we  wish  to  guide  you  through  the  chan- 
nel to  the  Fountain  from  whence  it  flows — even  the 
eternal  purpose,  the  everlasting  love,  the  covenant 
mercy  of  God  the  Father.    Here  is  the  grand  secret 
revealed  of  God  so  loving  to  the  world.     His  love 
originated  the  salvation  of  His  Church — the  salva- 
tion  of  the    Church   did   not   originate   His   love. 
Think  not,  then,  that  the  work  of  Jesus  was  the 
procuring  cause  of  God's  love  to  sinners !     O  no  ! 
You  do  him  sore  injustice  and  wrong  if  so  you  inter- 
pret his  affection.    He  loved  the  Church  long  before 
He  sent  His  Son  from  His  bosom   to   die  for  it. 
There  was  the  love,  thirsting,  panting,  and  longing 
for  an  outlet,  and  only  finding  it  through  the  riven 
14 


158  BROKEN   CISTERNS. 

bosom  of  Jesus.  Oh  !  to  see  that  every  step  which 
Jesus  took  to  work  out  our  redemption  from  the 
curse,  was  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  purpose,  the 
mind,  and  the  heart  of  the  Father !  He  could,  with 
all  truth,  say,  as  he  travailed  in  soul,  "I  and  my 
Father  are  one." — "I  do  always  those  things  which 
please  him." — The  Father  that  dwelleth  in  me,  he 
doeth  the  works." — "I  am  in  the  Father  and  the 
Father  in  me."  Behold,  then,  the  Fountain  of  liv- 
ing waters!  The  infinite,  the  eternal,  and  inex- 
haustible Fountain — the  Father's  love  !  Do  you  now 
marvel  at  redemption  ?  Do  you  now  wonder  at  His 
unspeakable  gift?  The  mystery  is  explained  in  the 
Father's  love.  "In  this  was  manifested  the  love  of 
God  towards  us,  because  that  God  sent  his  only-be- 
gotten Son  into  the  world,  that  we  might  live 
through  him." — "Herein  is  love,  not  that  we  loved 
God,  but  that  he  loved  us,  and  sent  his  Son  to  be 
the  propitiation  for  our  sins."  Learn,  dear  Christian 
reader,  to  entwine  the  Father  in  the  affections  that 
cluster  around  the  Son.  Eternally  welled  in  His  in- 
finite heart,  was  the  love  which  constrained  Him 
not  to  spare  His  own  Son,  that  He  might  spare  you. 
Give  to  him  an  equal  place  in  your  thoughts,  your 
affections,  your  worship,  and  your  service.  Blend 
him  with  every  view  which  you  take  of  Jesus.  As- 
sociate His  love  who  gave,  with  every  hallowed  re- 
membrance of  his  love  who  was  given.  And  when 
you  see  the  heart  of  the  Son  broken  wdth  sorrow, 
think  that  it  "pleased  JEnovAn  to  bruise  him  and  to 
put  him  to  grief  for  the  love  which  He  bore  the 


BROKEN   CISTERNS.  159 

Church.  Behold  what  a  fountain  of  life  is  God  ! 
All  intelligences,  from  the  highest  angel  in  heaven, 
to  the  lowest  creature  on  earth,  drawing  every  breath 
of  their  existence  from  Ilim.  "  In  Him  we  live  and 
move  and  have  our  being."  But  he  is  more  than 
this  to  the  Church.  He  is  the  Fountain  of  love  as 
well  as  of  life.  The  spirits  of  "just  men  made  per- 
fect," and  the  redeemed  on  earth,  satiate  their 
thirsty  souls  at  the  overflowing  fulness  of  the  Fath- 
er's love.  How  much  do  we  need  this  truth  !  What 
stinted  views,  unjust  conceptions,  and  wrong  inter- 
pretations have  we  cherished  of  Him,  simply 
because  we  overlook  His  character  as  the  Fountain 
of  living  waters.  We  "  limit  the  Holy  One  of  Is- 
rael." We  judge  of  him  by  our  poor,  narrow  con- 
ception of  things.  We  think  that  He  is  such  a  one 
as  we  ourselves  are.  We  forget  in  our  approaches, 
that  we  are  coming  to  an  Infinite  Fountain.  That 
the  heavier  the  demand  we  make  upon  God,  the 
more  we  shall  receive,  and  that  the  oftener  we  come, 
the  more  are  we  welcome.  That  we  cannot  ask  too 
much.  That  our  sin,  and  His  dishonour,  are,  that 
w^e  ask  so  little.  We  forget  that  He  is  glorified  in 
.giving ;  and  that  the  more  grace  He  metes  out  to 
his  people,  the  richer  the  revenue  of  praise  which 
He  receives  in  return.  How  worthy  of  such  an  in- 
finite Fountain  of  love  and  grace  is  His  "  Unspeak- 
able  Gift!"  It  came  from  a  large  heart;  and  the 
heart  that  gave  Jesus  will  uphold  no  good  thing 
from  them  that  walk  uprightly. 

The  same  figure  will  apply  with  equal  truth  to 


160  BROKEN    CISTERNS. 

the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  a  most  expressive  one. 
He  thus  appropriates  it  to  himself — "Jesus  stood 
and  cried,  saying,  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come 
unto  me  and  drink."  And  in  another  place  he  de- 
scribes the  water  which  he  gives,  as  "living  water." 
John  iv.  10.  Jesus  is  essential  life.  But  he  pos- 
sesses also  mediatorial  life,  held  in  covenant  for  his 
people.  To  this  hfe  he  alludes  in  these  words: 
"  Yerily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  The  hour  is  coming, 
and  now  is,  when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of 
the  Son  of  God  :  and  they  that  hear  shall  live.  For 
as  the  Father  hath  life  in  himself;  so  hath  he  given 
to  the  Son  to  have  life  in  himself."  John  v.  25,  26. 
Thus  clear  is  it,  that  Jesus  is  the  "Fountain  of  liv- 
ins:  waters."  What  moral  death  is  in  the  soul  of 
man  until  he  drinks  of  this  living  water  !  We  can- 
not, nor  dare  we,  close  our  eyes  to  the  truth,  such 
are  the  precious  interests  at  stake.  The  soul  of  man, 
as  to  everything  that  is  holy  and  spiritual,  is 
morally  dead.  His  professed  faith,  and  works,  and 
prayers,  and  religion  are  dead.  All  he  does  while 
in  an  unrenewed  state,  springs  from  death.  He 
may  be  powerfully  operated  upon  by  a  kind  of 
religious  galvanism.  There  may  be  apparent  alarm, 
and  conviction,  and  excitement,  under  the  preach- 
ing of  the  truth,  and  solemn  providences ;  and  yet 
(to  illustrate  his  condition  by  a  more  scriptural 
figure),  like  the  bones  in  Ezekiel's  vision,  though 
there  may  be  a  shaking,  and  the  outward  covering 
of  skin  and  flesh,  yet  "  there  is  no  breath.''  "  Hav- 
ing the  for7n  of  godliness,  but  denying  the  power 


BROKEN   CISTERNS.  161 

thereof."  It  is  by  the  quickeniDg  of  the  Spirit  alone, 
that  he  becomes  a  living  soul. 

But  what  a  Fountain  of  life  is  Jesus !  The  dead, 
on  whose  ear  falls  the  sound  of  his  voice,  live. 
There  is  a  grace  in  Christ  —  quickening,  regenerat- 
ing, life-giving  grace;  and  to  whomsoever  that 
grace  is  imparted,  he  that  was  lying  cold  and 
inanimate  in  the  valley,  begins  to  move,  to  live,  to 
breathe,  and  to  arise.  One  touch  of  Christ,  a 
whisper  of  his  voice,  a  breath  of  his  Spirit,  begets  a 
life  in  the  soul  that  never  dies.  That  faint  and 
feeble  pulsation  which  often  the  most  skilful  touch 
can  scarcely  detect,  is  as  deathless  as  the  life  of 
God !  A  stream  from  the  Fountain  of  essential 
life  has  entered  the  soul,  and  it  lives,  and  will  live, 
a  glorious  life,  running  on  parallel  with  God's 
eternity.  What  a  Fountain  of  life  is  Jesus  !  Think 
of  its  redundancy.  There  is  the  fulness  of  life  in 
Christ.  The  grace  that  is  welled  in  Jesus,  is  as 
infinite  in  its  source  as  it  is  divine  in  its  nature. 
"In  him  dwelt  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead 
bodily."  "  It  pleased  the  Father  that  in  him 
should  all  fulness  dwell."  An  uncreated  fulness,  it 
must  possess  a  redundancy  inexhaustible.  Had 
the  Father  deposited  this  life-giving  grace  in  all  the 
angels  in  heaven,  it  had  long  since  been  exhausted. 
Think  of  the  myriads,  thirsting  for  holiness  and  for 
happiness,  who  have  knelt  and  slaked  their  thirst  at 
this  Fountain — think  of  the  myriads  who  have  here 
filled  their  empty  vessels,  and  have  gone  away 
with  joy  and  hope  springing  high  in  their  minds. 
14* 


162  BROKEN   CISTERNS. 

Think  of  the  myriads  whose  sins  his  blood  has 
washed  away,  whose  sonls  his  righteousness  has 
clad,  whose  corruptions  his  grace  has  subdued,  and 
whose  sorrows  his  love  has  comforted.  Think  of 
the  iniquities  which  he  has  pardoned ;  of  the  back- 
slidings  which  he  has  healed  ;  of  the  grief  which  he 
has  removed ;  of  the  tears  which  he  has  dried ;  of 
the  souls  which  he  has  saved.  Think  of  the 
myriads,  once  drinking  from  the  stream  below,  but 
w^ho  are  now  drinking  from  the  Fountain-head  in 
glory.  And  yet  is  this  Fountain  as  full  as  ever! 
ISTot  one  hair's-breadth  has  it  sunk.  Jesus  is  as 
full  of  pardoning  grace  for  the  guilty,  and  of  justi- 
fying grace  for  the  vile,  and  of  sanctifying  grace 
for  the  unw^orthy,  as  ever  ;  full  enough  to  meet  the 
wants  of  every  poor,  thirsty,  panting  soul  who 
ventures  near.  Oh,  what  a  precious  truth  is  this  ! 
Precious  indeed  to  him  who  feels  his  insufficiency, 
poverty,  and  need.  "What,  reader,  is  your  want? 
w^hat  your  sorrow  ?  what  your  trial  ?  what  your  infirm- 
ity ?  what  3^our  burthen  ?  Whatever  it  may  be, 
repair  with  it  to  the  Fountain  of  living  waters,  and 
despair  not  of  a  gracious  welcome,  and  of  an  adequate 
supply.  It  is  a  Fountain,  and  a  living  Fountain.  It 
needs  no  persuasion  to  ilow,  for  it  flows  sponta- 
neouslj' ;  and  wherever  it  flows  there  is  life. 

This  reminds  us  of  \t^  free7iess.  The  grace  that 
is  in  Christ  Jesus  must,  from  its  ver}^  nature,  be 
unpurchaseable.  It  implies  absolute  poverty  in  the 
creature,  and  infinite  aflluence  in  God.  Could  it, 
by  any  possibility,  be  purchased,  it  would  cease  to 


BROKEN   CISTERNS.  163 

be  what  it  now  is,  the  ''*  grace  of  God."  Because 
it  is  so  great,  so  rich,  aud  so  infinite,  God  has  made 
it  as  free  as  the  sun-light  and  the  air.  Nothing  can 
procure  it.  Tears  cannot — convictions  cannot  — 
faith  cannot — obedience  cannot  —  prayer  cannot  — 
yea,  not  even  can  the  most  costly  work  of  God's 
Spirit  in  the  soul  procure  a  drop  of  this  "living 
water."  Qodi  gives  it,  and  he  gives  it,  as  the  word 
implies,  freely.  This  is  its  glory  —  it  is  an  unpur- 
chaseable, and  a  freely  bestowed  gift.  Upon  no 
other  terms  is  it  granted.  Consequently,  no  condi- 
tion of  human  character,  and  no  case  of  human 
guilt,  are  excluded.  The  vilest  of  the  vile,  the 
poor  insolvent  sinner,  the  needy,  the  wretched,  the 
penniless,  the  voice  of  free  grace  welcomes  to  the 
"living  waters."  What  has  kept  you  so  long  from 
this  fountain  ?  You  have  thirsted,  and  panted,  and 
desired  ;  but  still  your  soul  has  not  been  replenished. 
You  have,  perhaps,  long  been  seeking  the  Lord, 
asking  the  way,  and  desiring  salvation.  Why  have 
you  not  found  him  ?  You  have  borne  the  heavy 
burthen  of  sin,  month  after  month,  and  year  after 
year,  knowing  nothing  of  a  sense  of  pardon,  of 
acceptance,  of  adoption,  of  rest.  And  why  ? 
Because  you  have  stumbled  at  the  freeness  of  the 
gift.  You  have  expected  to  receive  it  as  a  sairitj 
not  seeing  that  God  will  only  give  it  to  you  as  a 
sinner.  But  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord :  "  By 
grace  are  ye  saved  ;"  "  Bedeeraed  without  money ;" 
"Nothing  to  pay  :"  "  Whosoever  will,  let  him  come 
and  take  of  the  water  of  Hfe  freely."     O  receive 


104  BROKEN   CISTERNS. 

into  your  heart  this  truth,  and  you  will  be  a  happy 
man  !  All  creation  will  seem  to  smile  upon  you  — 
the  heavens  will  smile — the  earth  will  smile  —  yea, 
God  himself  will  smile.  Dropping  its  chain,  your 
emancipated  soul  will  spring  into  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  sons  of  God.  What  sovereignty, 
sweetness,  and  glory  will  now  appear  in  the  very 
act  that  forgives  all,  forgets  all,  and  which  introdu- 
ces you  into  a  new  world,  redolent  of  joy  and 
delight.  And  while  this  precious  fountain  of  grace 
and  love,  proceeding  from  the  overflowing  heart  of 
the  Saviour,  thus  flows,  you  will  exclaim, — 

*'  My  soul  is  caught, 
Heaven's  sovereign  blessings  clustering  from  the  cross, 
Kush  on  her  in  a  throng,  and  close  her  round, 
The  prisoner  of  amaze/' 

One  other  quality  of  the  life-giving  water  of 
grace  yet  remains  to  be  noticed — we  allude  to  its 
satisfying  nature.  Can  this  be  affirmed  of  any  other 
bliss  ?  Is  this  an  ingredient  in  the  thousand  cups  of 
creature  good  which  men  so  eagerly  put  to  their  lips  ? 
Select  your  choicest,  fondest,  sweetest  temporal  mercy 
and  say,  is  it  satisfying  to  thy  soul  ?  Does  it,  in  its 
fullest  enjoyment,  leave  no  want  unsupplied,  no 
desire  unmet,  no  void  unfilled  ?  Does  it  meet  the 
cravings  of  the  mind  ?  Go  into  the  garden  of 
creature  blessing,  and  pluck  the  loveliest  flower, 
and  taste  the  sweetest  fruit ;  repair  to  the  cabinet 
of  friendship,  and  select  from  thence  its  choicest 
pearl ;  pass  round  the  wide  circle  of  earth-born  joy, 


BROKEN   CISTERJfS.  165 

and  place  thy  hand  upon  the  chief  and  the  best — is 
it  the  feeling  of  your  heart,  and  the  language  of 
your  lips — "I  am  satisfied^  I  want  no  more?" 
Does  it  quench  the  spirit's  thirst ;  does  it  soothe 
the  heart's  sorrow ;  does  it  meet  the  mind's 
cravings  ;  does  it  quiet  the  troubled  conscience,  and 
lift  the  burthen  from  the  aching  heart  ?  0  no ! 
The  height,  the  depth,  the  length,  the  breadth, 
exclaim,  "  It  is  not  in  me — am  I  in  God's  stead?" 
But  how  blessed  is  that  which  truly  satisfies ! 
Listen  to  the  gracious  words  of  the  Saviour. 
"  Whoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  will  give 
him,  shall  never  thirst ;  but  the  water  that  I  will 
give  him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water,  springing 
up  into  everlasting  life."  Did  language  ever  utter 
a  sentiment  more  true  than  this  !  Jesus  is  an  all- 
satisfying  portion.  They  who  have  tried  him  can 
testify  that  it  is  so.  His  is  not  a  satisfaction  in  name, 
but  in  reality  and  in  truth.  There  is  a  felt,  a 
realized  sense  of  holy  satiety.  The  mind  is  content. 
The  believer  wanders  no  more  in  quest  of  happiness 
or  of  rest.  He  has  found  them  both  in  Jesus.  He 
is  satisfied  to  stake  his  eternal  all  upon  the  finished 
work  of  Immanuel — to  live  upon  his  smile,  to 
abide  in  his  love,  to  draw  upon  his  grace,  to  submit 
to  his  wdll,  to  bear  his  cross,  to  be  guided  by  his 
counsel,  and  afterwards  to  be  received  by  him,  and 
to  him,  into  glory.  "  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but 
thee  ?  and  who  is  there  upon  earth  that  I  desire 
beside  thee  ?"  " My  heart  infixed,  O  God,  my  heart 
is  fixed:  I  will  sing  and  give  praise," — are   the 


166  BROKEN    CISTERNS. 

breathings  of  his  adoring,  loving,  fixed  heart. 
Who  that  has  fully  received  Christ  into  his  heart, 
finds  that  heart  sighing  to  return  again  to  the  bond- 
age and  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt  ?  No  man,  having 
tasted  of  the  old  wine  of  God's  everlasting  love  in 
Jesus,  straightway  desires  the  new  wine  of  the 
world's  everchanging  joys.  Satisfied  with  what  he 
has  through  grace  thus  found,  he  exclaims,  "  The 
old  is  better."  'No.  The  Lord  Jesus  imparts  con- 
tentment to  the  soul  in  which  he  enters  and  dwells. 
Vast  as  were  those  desires  before,  urgent  as  were 
those  necessities,  insatiable  as  were  those  cravings, 
and  restless  as  was  that  mind,  Jesus  has  met  and 
satisfied  them  all.  The  magnetic  power  of  his  love 
has  attracted  to,  and  fixed  the  mind  upon  himself. 
"He  satisfieth  the  longing  soul,  and  filleth  the 
hungry  soul  with  goodness."  The  believer  is 
satisfied  that  God  should  possess  him  fully,  and 
govern  him  supremely,  and  guide  him  entirely,  and 
be  the  sole  Fountain  from  whence  he  draws  his 
happiness,  gratefully  acknowledging,  "All  my 
springs  are  in  Thee."  Thus  is  he  content  to  be  just 
where  his  Father  would  have  him.  He  is  satisfied 
that  he  possesses  God,  and  that  possessing  God,  he 
has  all  good  in  God.  He  knows  that  his  Father 
cares  for  him ;  that  he  has  undertaken  to  guide  all 
his  steps,  and  to  provide  for  all  his  wants.  The 
only  anxiety  which  he  feels  as  to  the  present,  is,  how 
he  may  the  most  glorifj^  his  dearest,  his  only  Friend, 
casting  the  future  on  Him  in  the  simphcity  of  child- 
like faith,  which  has 


BROKEN   CISTERNS.  16T 

"  No  care  a  day  beyond  to-day ; 
No  thought  about  to-morrow.'^ 

Nor  is  the  satisfaction  thus  felt  limited  to  the 
present  state.  It  passes  on  with  the  believer  to 
eternity.  It  enters  with  him  into  the  mansions  of 
bliss.  There,  in  unruffled  serenity,  in  unalloyed  joy, 
in  unmingled  bliss,  it  is  perfect  and  complete. 
"  Thou  wilt  show  me  the  path  of  life :  in  thy 
presence  is  fulness  of  joy ;  at  thy  right  hand  there 
are  pleasures  for  evermore."  Happy  saint !  who  hast 
found  thine  all  in  Jesus !  Glorified  spirit !  would  we 
recall  you  to  these  scenes  of  sin,  of  suffering,  and 
of  death?  ISTo !  the  needle  of  thy  soul  no  longer 
varies  and  trembles,  diverted  from  its  centre  by 
other  and  treacherous  objects,  —  Jesus  fixes  it  now, 
and  fixes  it  for  ever.  Drink  on,  ye  spirits  of  the 
just  made  perfect,  drink  !  "  0  Kaphtali !  satisfied 
with  favour,  and  full  with  the  blessing  of  the  Lord, 
possess  thou  the  west  and  the  south."  Yea,  range 
the  entire  compass  of  infinite  good,  for  all  things  in 
God,  in  Christ,  and  in  the  covenant,  are  yours,  and 
yours  to  all  eternity  ! 

But  man  has  his  wretched  substitutes  for  this 
"Fountain  of  living  waters."  This  is  the  solemn 
charge  which  God  here  alleges  against  him.  "  They 
have  forsaken  me  the  fountain  of  living  waters,  and 
hewn  them  out  cisterns,  broken  cisterns,  that  can 
hold  no  water."  There  are  three  circles  into  which 
we  will  introduce  the  reader,  each  one  affording 
evidence  and  illustration  of  the  truth  and  nature  of 


168  BROKEN  CISTERNS. 

this  charge.  The  first  circle,  perhaps  the  widest 
and  the  most  melancholy,  is,  the  circle  of  a  self- 
righteous  world.  In  no  instance  does  the  truth  of 
this  statement  receive  so  affecting  a  confirmation  as 
in  this.  What  is  the  sad  history  of  man  in  relation 
to  this  indictment  ?  Has  he  not  forsaken  the  right- 
eousness of  God,  and  sought  a  substitute  in  his 
own  ?  What  is  man's  own  righteousness,  the  best 
that  he  ever  made,  but  the  hewing  out  of  a  created 
cistern,  in  the  place  of  the  infinite  fountain  ?  Wlien 
Adam  fell,  he  forsook  God;  and  when  expelled 
from  paradise,  he  came  out  with  a  fig-leaf  covering, 
a  wretched  substitute  for  the  beautiful  robe  which 
he  had  just  cast  aside,  and  a  melancholy  and 
expressive  emblem  and  badge  of  his  own  shame, 
and  of  our  ruin.  It  was  then  that  the  solemn 
charge  was  first  laid  at  the  door  —  of  forsaking  the 
Fountain  for  a  cistern.  And  what  a  wretched 
cistern  it  is  !  See  how  contracted  and  how  shallow ! 
In  vain  he  "goes  about  to  establish  a  righteousness, 
of  his  own,  not  submitting  himself  to  the  righteous- 
ness of  God."  At  every  step  he  fails.  "For  the 
bed  is  shorter,  than  that  a  man  can  stretch  himself 
on  it ;  and  the  covering  narrower,  than  that  he  can 
wrap  himself  in  it."  Isaiah  xxviii.  20.  His 
obedience,  at  best,  must  be  but  a  partial  and  an 
imperfect  one,  and  failing  in  a  single  point,  entails 
eternal  despair.  "For  whosoever  shall  keep  the 
whole  law,  and  yet  offend  in  one  point,  he  is  guilty 
of  all."  But  not  only  is  it  a  shallow  and  contracted, 
but  it  is  also  a  ^'hrolcen  cistern."     It  can  hold  no 


BROKEN    CISTERNS.  169 

water  of  life  or  of  peace,  of  consolation  or  of  joy. 
In  vain  his  spirit,  tormented  with  guilt  and  agitated 
with  fear,  repairs  to  it  for  satisfaction  and  repose — 
it  supplies  it  not.  Let  a  man,  for  example,  who  is 
thus  seeking  salvation  by  the  law,  take  the  holiest 
day  in  the  calendar  of  his  life ;  let  it  be  as  free  as  it 
is  possible  for  a  fallen  creature  to  make  it  from  sin ; 
let  it  be  filled  up  with  religious  duties  and  services 
—  it  closes,  and  the  curtains  of  night  have  drawn 
around  him.  Reposing  on  his  pillow,  he  throws 
forward  a  glance  into  the  eternal  world  —  he  thinks 
of  the  holy  God,  of  the  righteous  law,  of  the  solemn 
judgment,  and  the  question,  "  "What,  if  this  night 
I  should  be  summoned  to  stand  before  my  Judge  ! 
— what,  if  to-morrow's  sun  should  rise  upon  my 
corpse,  and  I,  a  departed  spirit  should  be  mingling 
with  the  dread  realities  of  an  unseen  world  !  "  — 
and  he  trembles  and  turns  pale.  What!  has  not 
his  lest  obedience,  his  holiest  day,  his  strictest 
observance  brought  peace  to  his  conscience  and 
quietness  to  his  soul  ?  What,  does  no  bright  hope 
of  glory  play  around  his  pillow,  and  no  loving, 
peaceful  view  of  God  cradle  him  to  rest?  Ah,  no  ! 
he  has  "  forsaken  the  fountain  of  living  waters,  and 
has  hewn  him  out  a  cistern,  a  broken  cistern,  that 
can  hold  no  water,"  and  his  night  closes  in  upon 
him  hung  with  the  drapery  of  hopeless  gloom.  To 
you,  reader,  is  this  solemn  word  now  sent.  Ah ! 
while  your  eye  has  been  scanning  this  page,  has 
there  not  been  in  your  heart  the  secret  conviction 
of  its  truth?  You  have  forsaken  the  righteousness 
15 


170  BROKEN    CISTERNS. 

of  God,  and  for  years  have  been  digging  into  the 
law,  hoping  thus  to  find  in  its  strictest  observance, 
some  well-spring  of  life  and  peace  to  your  soul. 
But  allj^our  toil  has  been  in  vain,  and  all  your  time 
mis-spent.  And  why  ?  because,  "  by  the  works  of 
the  law  shall  no  man  livicg  be  justified."  And  as 
true  peace  flows  only  through  the  channel  of  justi- 
fication by  faith,  turning  your  back  upon  tTiat 
channel,  there  is,  there  can  be,  no  peace  for  your 
soul.  0  that  this  voice,  now  sounding  in  faithful- 
ness in  your  ear,  may  awaken  you  to  a  sense  of 
your  delusion  and  your  folly,  and  win  you  to  the 
"good  and  the  right  way!"  O  that  you  may  be 
persuaded  to  abandon  the  implements  of  a  self- 
wrought  righteousness,  with  which  you  have  so 
long  fruitlessly  laboured,  and  just  as  you  are,  — 
poor,  guilty,  vile,  helpless,  and  hopeless,  —  betake 
yourself  to  the  "  righteousness  of  God,  which  is  by 
faith  in  Christ  Jesus!"  The  law  is  a  "broken 
cistern;"  it  holds  no  sweet  waters  of  salvation,  it 
gives  out  no  streams  of  peace.  But  the  Lord  Jesus 
is  the  living  fountain.  He  is  the  "  end  of  the  law 
for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  believeth."  He 
has  "  brought  in  a  new  and  an  everlasting  right- 
eousness" for  the  fall  justification  of  poor  sinners, 
such  as  you.  Abandon  at  once  and  for  ever  the 
broken  cistern  of  a  creature  righteousness,  —  too 
long  has  it  allured  but  to  deceive  you, —  and  repair 
to  the  fountain  of  the  Divine  righteousness,  which 
never  has  and  never  will  deceive  a  believing  sinner. 
Drink,  O    drink,  from    this   life-giving    fountain! 


BROKEN   CISTERNS.  171 

Hero  are  peace,  joy,  confidence,  and  hope. 
Clothed  in  this  righteousness,  you  can  look  your 
sins  in  the  face,  and  death  in  the  face,  and  hell  in 
the  face,  and  fear  nothing.  "Who  shall  lay  any- 
thing to  the  charge  of  God's  elect  ?     It  is  God  that 

JUSTIFIETII." 

We  introduce  the  reader  within  another  circle. 
In  the  unrenewed,  ungodly  world,  what  accumulated 
and  melancholy  evidence  presents  itself  of  man's 
abandonment  of  an  infinite  for  a  finite  good — the 
fountain  for  the  cistern  !  It  matters  not  whether 
he  is  found  in  the  intellectual,  or  in  the  sensual 
world,  the  world  of  science,  or  of  sense ;  whether 
he  drinks  from  the  more  refined,  or  the  more 
polluted  source,  —  he  has  forsaken  God,  and  has 
sought  out  some  false  and  wretched  substitute. 
Man  is  an  inventive  creature.  And  from  the 
moment  that  he  first  turned  away  from  the  infinite 
source  of  happiness,  until  the  present,  he  has  been 
bent  upon  "  finding  out  many  inventions"  of  crea- 
ture good.  Not  a  day  returns  but  it  finds  him  still 
delving  into  the  earth  in  quest  of  that  which  will 
quench  the  burning  thirst  of  his  soul.  He  formed 
the  cistern,  and  lo !  it  proves  a  "  broJeen  cistern 
that  can  hold  no  water  !"  The  man  of  science  has 
effected  his  ingenious  discovery,  the  geometrician 
has  solved  his  abstruse  problem,  the  scholar  has 
completed  his  production,  the  statesman  has  carried 
his  measure,  the  warrior  has  gained  his  battle,  the 
speculator  has  amassed  his  wealth,  and  the  competitor 
has  won  his  prize  —  are  they  happy  ?    Follow  them 


172  BROKEN   CISTERNS. 

into  privacy,  and  behold  them,  wlien  the  fragrant 
incense  of  flattery,  and  the  low  murmur  of  applause, 
and  the  delirious  excitement  of  success,  and  the 
burning  flush  of  victory  have,  like  a  beautiful 
vision,  passed  away,  and  they  are  alone  with  them- 
selves. Are  they  happy  ?  Oh  !  that  melancholy 
countenance,  pale  with  thought  —  that  deep-drawn 
sigh  —  that  languid  look  —  that  restless  pace  —  too 
painfully  reveal  that  happiness — that  heaven-descend- 
ins^-creature — hath  not  her  home  and  her  dwellino;- 
place  there  !  And  why  marvel  ye  at  this  ?  They 
have  committed  two  great  sins — they  have  forsaken 
the  Fountain  of  living  waters,  and  have  hewn  them 
out  broken  cisterns  that  can  hold  no  water.  Survey 
the  daughter  of  worldly  loleasure.  She  has  retired 
from  her  evening  fascination  to  her  couch  of  repose, 
intoxicated  with  the  incense  of  adulation  offered  to 
her  intelligence  and  her  beauty.  But  the  excitement 
evaporates,  and  the  mind  turns  in  upon  itself —  is 
she  happy  f  Ask  that  heaving  bosom  —  ask  that 
aching  head — ask  that  burning  tear  —  ask  that 
feverish  restlessness — ask  that  sleepless  pillow ;  each 
would  exclaim  —  "  It  is  not  here  !  "  And  still  do 
you  wonder?  "Wonder  not  —  she  has  forsaken  the 
Fountain  of  living  waters,  and  has  hewn  out  a 
broken  cistern  that  can  hold  no  water.  Take  the 
testimony  of  one  who  had  ransacked  the  world  of 
earthly  good  :  ''I  have  seen  all  the  works  that  are 
done  under  the  sun ;  and  behold,  all  is  vanity  and 
vexation  of  spirit." 
And  what  is  the  history  of  creature  idolatry^  but 


BROKEN    CISTERNS.  173 

a  mournful  record  of  beautiful  and  inviting  cisterns, 
which  nevertheless,  God  has  destroyed  ?  This  is  a 
wide  and  affecting  circle.  We  enter  it  cautiously, 
we  allude  to  it  feelingly  and  tenderly.  We  touch 
the  subject  with  a  pen  that  has  often  sought  (though 
in  much  feebleness,  it  is  acknowledged)  to  comfort 
the  mourner,  and  to  lift  the  pressure  from  the  bowed- 
down  spirit.  We  enter  the  domestic  circle ;  oh ! 
what  beautiful  cisterns  of  creature  good,  broken  and 
empty,  meet  us  here!  The  affectionate  husband, 
the  fond  wife,  the  devoted  parent,  the  pleasant  child, 
the  faithful  friend,  laid  low  in  death.  They  were 
lovely  cisterns,  and  the  heart  loved  to  drink  from 
them  its  bliss.  But  lo  !  God  has  smitten,  and  they 
are  broken,  and  the  sweet  waters  have  passed  away ! 
Was  there  not  a  worshipping  of  the  creature  rather 
than  the  Creator?  Was  not  the  object  deified  ?  Was 
not  the  attachment  idolatrous  ?  Did  not  the  loved 
one  occupy  Christ's  place  in  the  heart  ?  Ah !  the 
wound,  the  void,  the  desolateness,  the  lonely  grief 
of  that  heart,  but  too  truly  tell  who  was  enthroned 
upon  its  strongest  and  its  best  affections. 

But  we  will  seek  an  illustration  of  our  subject 
from  a  narrower  circle.  Let  us  pass  within  the  ivorld 
of  religious  lorofession.  What  numerous  and  affect- 
ing proofs  meet  us  here  of  the  truth  of  God's  sol- 
emn charge  !  Look  at  the  false  teaching  of  the  day. 
What  are  the  heretical  doctrines  which  are  now  de- 
fended with  such  ability,  and  propagated  with  such 
zeal,  but  so  many  cisterns  of  error  hewn  out  by  man 
as  substitutes  for  the  fountain  of  revealed  truth  ?— 
15* 


174  BROKEN    CISTERNS. 

doctrines  that  sink  revelation  and  exalt  tradition, 
and  so  deny  tlie  word  of  God ;  that  ascribe  regen- 
erating grace  to  sacraments,  and  so  deny  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  that  teach  the  "real  presence  "  in  the  Lord's 
Supper,  and  so  do  away  with  the  sacrifice  and 
atonement  of  Christ ;  that  make  religion  to  consist 
in  a  mere  observance  of  external  rites,  and  so  deceive 
and  ruin  immortal  souls  ;  that  obliterate  the  revealed 
truth  of  future  and  eternal  punishment,  thus  weak- 
ening the  power  and  shading  the  glory  of  God's 
moral  government.  "We  hesitate  not  to  say,  that 
these,  and  their  kindred  heresies,  are  the  inventions 
of  man,  and  designed  to  beguile  souls  from  the 
pure  fountain  of  truth.  They  are  cisterns  of  human 
contrivance,  v/hich  hold  no  water  but  the  water 
of  death. 

Shall  we  find  nothing  in  the  still  smaller  circle  of 
the  true  Church  of  God  which  would  seem  to  indi- 
cate a  proneness  to  substitute  some  object  in  the  ex- 
perience of  the  believer  for  Christ?  Yerily,  we 
think  so.  To  adduce  an  example,  alas  !  but  too  com- 
mon — When  the  act  of  faith  is  substituted  for  the 
object  of  faith,  w^hat  is  this  but  the  hewing  out  of  a 
broken  cistern  ?  Whatever  I  put  in  Christ's  place 
necessarily  becomes  a  substitute  for  Christ.  If  I  look 
to  my  faith  for  comfort,  and  peace,  and  evidence, 
instead  of  my  faith  looking  to  Christ  for  these,  I 
exchansce  the  Fountain  for  the  cistern.  We  are 
now  touching  upon  a  truth  of  vital  moment.  Jesus 
is  the  fountain  of  all  life,  light,  grace,  and  love  to 
the  believer.  Faith  is  but  the  channel  through  which 


BROKEN   CISTERNS.  175 

these  blessings  are  received.  And  yet,  who  has  not 
detected  in  his  heart  a  tendency  to  look  to  faith  for 
the  evidence  of  his  Christianity,  instead  of  to 
Christ  ?  thus  making  the  act  of  believing  a  substi- 
tute for  the  olject  in  which  we  believe.  You  have 
long  been  pleading,  as  your  reason  for  the  unsettled 
and  unhappy  state  of  your  mind,  the  weakness  of  your 
faith.  What,  I  ask,  is  this,  but  the  making  a  Saviour 
of  your  faith  ?  It  was  not  faith  that  died  for  you — it 
is  not  faith  that  saves  you.  It  is  Christ,  and  Christ 
alone.  Your  evidences,  your  peace,  your  joy,  3^our 
hope,  all  must  ilow/rom  Jesus.  "Thou  hast  made 
me  glad  through  thy  w^ork,"  was  the  Psalmist's  ex- 
perience. And  your  soul  also  will  be  made  glad 
through  the  atoning,  finished  work  of  Christ.  That 
you  should  have  found  faith  a  broken  cistern  of 
soul-comfort,  should  create  in  you  no  surprise.  The 
Lord  is  jealous  for  his  glory  —  he  will  not  give  it  to 
a  creature,  nor  will  he  give  it  to  a  grace.  Precious 
as  that  grace  may  be,  it  never  can  be  a  substitute 
for  Christ's  precious  work.  If  by  any  means  I  ex- 
clude the  sun  from  my  garden,  should  I  wonder 
that  my  seed  did  not  germinate,  and  that  my 
flowers  did  not  appear,  and  that  my  plants  drooped 
and  died  ?  Surely  not.  And  if  I  veil  the  Sun  of 
Kighteousness  from  my  soul,  —  if  some  intervening 
object  is  allowed  to  arrest  his  beams,  so  that  they 
fall  not  directly  and  warmly  upon  the  "incor- 
ruptible seed"  sown  in  my  heart,  need  I  wonder  that 
it  springs  not  forth  in  blossom,  or  that  the  blos- 
som falls  ere  it  sets  in  fruit  ?    But  turn,  0  believer, 


176  BROKEN   CISTERNS. 

from  this  broken  cistern  to  Jesus  the  fountain. 
Draw  your  comfort,  not  from  the  channel,  but  from 
the  source  whence  it  proceeds.  Stumble  no  longer 
at  the  weakness  of  your  faith.  Turn  your  eye  from 
every  object  but  the  Lord  our  Righteousness,  in 
whom  you  may  stand  before  God,  the  object  of  his 
love  and  delight. 

Again,  "When  we  substitute  spiritual  frames  and 
feelings  for  a  simple  resting  on  the  Lord  Jesus,  we 
hew  out  broken  cisterns  that  afford  no  true  refresh- 
ment to  the  soul.  These  are  perpetually  varying. 
The  billows  of  the  sea,  and  the  winds  of  heaven, 
are  no  more  restless,  fluctuating,  and  uncertain. 
But  if  the  mariner  incessantly  watches  the  heaving 
ocean,  guiding  his  bark  by  its  ever-changing  undu- 
lations and  currents,  what  progress  towards  his 
haven  will  he  make  ?  And  thou  wilt  make  no  ad- 
vance in  the  divine  life,  if  thine  eye  is  ever  upon  thy- 
self instead  of  Christ.  What  though  the  experience 
of  to-day  is  the  opposite  of  the  experience  of  yester- 
day, — yesterday  all  brightness,  to-day  all  cloudiness ; 
yesterday  thy  soul  like  a  well-tuned  psalm,  to-day 
every  string  loosed  and  uttering  no  melody ;  yester- 
day Jesus  felt  to  be  so  near  and  precious,  to-day 
seeming  to  awaken  not  a  loving  emotion  in  thine 
heart ;  yesterday  communion  with  God  so  sweet, 
to-day  none  whatever;  yesterday  desiring  to  walk 
uprightly,  holily,  and  humbly,  to-day  detecting  so 
much  that  is  vacillating,  weak  and  vile;  —  never- 
theless, Jesus  is  not  changed.  The  work  of  Christ 
is  the  same  —  your  acceptance  in  him  is  the  same  — 


BROKEN   CISTERNS.  177 

hi^^  intercession  in  heaven  for  thee  is  the  same ;  then, 
wherefore  should  you  %  to  spiritual  experiences  for 
succour,    strength,   and   consolation  —  rising  when 
they  rise,  falling  when   they  fall  —  when  all  your 
standing,  joy,  peace,  and  hope  are  entirely  out  of 
yourself,  and  are  solely  in  Christ?     "What  though 
you  change  a  thousand  times  in  one  day  ?  he  never 
changes.     God   may  vary  His   dispensations;   He 
may  alter  His  mode  of  dealing  — He  may  change 
the  nature  of  His  discipline  —  He  may  vary  the  les- 
son, but  His  loving-kindness  and  His  truth  are  as 
unchangeable  as  his  very  being.     He  may  dry  up 
the  earthly  cistern,  but  He  will  never  seal  up  the 
heavenly  fountain;    that   will   flow   on    in   grace 
through  all  time,  and  in  glory  through  all  eternity. 
And  is  it  not  an  evil  thing  thus  to  have  forsaken 
the  Fountain  of  living  waters  ?    God  speaks  of  it  as 
involving  two  evils— the  evil  of  forsaking  Him,  and 
the  evil  of  substituting  a  false  object  of  happiness  for 
Him.     ''  My  people  have  committed  two  evils :  they 
have  forsaken  me  the  Fountain  of  living  water,  and 
they  have  hewn  them  out  cisterns,  broken  cisterns, 
that  can  hold  no  water."  We  are  now^  touching  upon, 
perhaps,  the  most  solemn  and  important  part  of  this 
chapter — the  sinfulness  of  forsaking  God,  and  of  sub- 
stituting something  else  for  God.     Dear  reader,  the 
true  painfulness  of  this  subject  consists  not  in  the  sor- 
row which  thy  heart  may  have  felt  in  seeing  thy  cis- 
tern broken.   Ah  no !  the  true  agony  should  be,*^  that 
thou  hast,  in  thy  wanderings  and  creature  idolatry, 
sinned,  deeply  sinned,  against  the  Lord   thy  God. 


178  BROKEN    CISTERNS. 

This,  and  not  thy  loss,  ought  to  lay  thee  low  before 
Him.  This,  and  not  thy  broken  scheme  of  earthly 
happiness,  ought  to  fill  thee  with  the  bitterness  of 
sorrow,  and  clothe  thee  with  the  drapery  of  woe. 
Oh !  to  have  turned  thy  back  upon  such  a  God, 
upon  such  a  Father,  upon  such  a  Friend,  and  to 
have  supposed  that  even  a  universe  of  creatures 
could  have  made  you  happy  without  Ilim,  ought  to 
bring  you  to  His  feet,  exclaiming,  "  God  be  merciful 
to  me  the  chief  of  sinners  !"  Is  it  no  sin  to  say  to 
God,  as  you  have  said  a  thousand  times  over — "I 
prefer  myself  to  Thee  —  my  family  to  Thee  —  my 
estate  to  Thee  —  my  pleasure  to  Thee  —  my  honor 
to  Thee  ?"  It  is  no  sin  to  have  taken  the  gifts  with 
which  He  endowed  thee,  or  the  wealth  with  which 
He  entrusted  thee,  and  forming  them  into  a  golden 
image,  to  have  fallen  down  before  it,  exclamiug, 
"  This  is  thy  God,  O  my  soul !"  0  yes,  it  is  a  sin, 
the  guilt  and  the  greatness  of  which  no  language 
can  describe.  There  is  coming  a  period,  unconverted 
reader,  when  thou  wilt  know  it  of  a  truth  to  be  a  sin. 
A  dying  bed  !  ah  yes  !  a  dying  bed  !  the  last  cistern 
broken !  the  last  joy  fled !  the  last  hope  expired !  And 
now,  without  God,  and  without  Christ,  and  without 
hope !  "What !  is  there  not  one  drop  of  thy  many  earth- 
ly cisterns  left  to  cool  thy  spirit's  burning  ?  Have  all 
thy  creature  olessings  fled,  as  if  appalled  by  the  hor- 
rors of  the  scene?  Yes!  allhavefled,  and  have  left  thee 
alone  upon  the  dreary  precincts  of  an  eternal  world  ! 
"  Oh  !  how  this  eternity  haunts  me  !"  exclaimed  a 
gay  votary  of  worldly  pleasure,  the  moment  before 


BROKEN   CISTERNS.  179 

her  young,  trembling  spirit  plunged  into  the  dark 
and  measureless  abyss.  "  0  Lord,  the  hope  of 
Israel,  all  that  eorsake  thee  shall  be  ashamed, 

AND  they  that  DEPART  FROM  THEE  SHALL  BE  WRITTEN 

in  the  earth,  because  they  have  forsaken  the 
Lord,  the  fountain  of  living  waters." 

And  is  it  no  siuy  0  believer  in  Jesus,  to  have 
turned  away  in  thine  unbelief  and  inconstancy, 
from  the  glorious  redemption  which  the  Lord  has 
obtained  for  thee  at  such  a  price,  and  to  have  sought 
the  assurance  and  the  joy  of  thy  salvation  from  other 
sources  than  it  ?  What !  is  not  the  atonins:  work 
of  Jesus  sufficient  to  give  to  thy  believing  soul  solid 
rest,  and  peace,  and  hope,  but  that  thou  shouldst 
have  turned  thine  eye  from  him,  and  have  sought  it 
in  the  polluted  and  broken  cistern  of  selfP  0  slight 
not  the  precious  blood,  and  the  glorious  righteous- 
ness, and  the  infinite  fulness,  and  the  tender  love 
of  Jesus  thus  !  l!^ay, — you  dishonour  this  precious 
Jesus  himself!  Shall  he  have  wrought  such  an 
obedience,  shall  he  have  made  such  an  atonement, 
shall  he  have  died  such  a  death,  shall  he  have  risen 
and  have  ascended  up  on  high,  all  to  secure  your 
full  salvation  and  certain  glory,  and  will  you  derive 
the  evidence  and  the  comfort  of  your  acceptance 
from  any  other  than  this  one  precious  source  — 
"Looking  unto  Jesus!"  Look  away,  then,  from 
everything  —  to  Jesus.  ITo  matter  w^iat  thou  art, 
look  away  from  self — to  Jesus.  The  more  vile,  the 
more  empty,  the  more  unworthy,  the  greater  reason 
and  the  stronger  argument  w^herefore  thou  shouldst 


180  BROKEN  CISTERNS. 

look  entirely  off  thyself — to  Jesus.  His  atoning 
work  is  FINISHED  by  him,  and  is  sealed  by  the 
Father.  It  is  impossible  that  God  can  reject  you, 
entirely  renouncing  yourself,  and  fleeing  unto  Christ. 
Coming  to  Him  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  God  cannot 
deny  you.  He  has  pledged  Himself  that  whatever  is 
asked  in  that  name  He  will  grant.  Take  Him  at  His 
word !  Ask  Him  for  the  sense  of  His  reconciled  love 
— ask  Him  for  the  spirit  of  adoption  —  ask  Him  for 
the  fihal,  loving,  and  obedient  heart  —  ask  Him  for 
the  meek,  lowl}^,  and  submissive  will.  Yea,  pour 
out  your  heart  before  Him :  God  waits  to  grant  your 
utmost  desire  breathed  out  to  Him  m  the  name  of 
Jesus.  He  has  given  you  His  beloved  Son  —  O 
largess  worthy  of  our  God  !  0  gift  of  gifts,  priceless 
and  precious  beyond  all  thought !  —  what  inferior 
blessing  will  He,  then,  withhold  ? 

Suffer,  in  closing  this  chapter,  an  affectionate  ex- 
hortation. Turn  every  loss  of  creature-good  into  an 
occasion  of  greater  nearness  to  Christ.  The  dearest 
and  loveliest  creature  is  but  a  cistern  —  an  inferior 
and  contracted  good.  If  it  contains  any  sweetness, 
the  Lord  put  it  there.  If  it  is  a  medium  of  any 
blessing  to  your  soul,  Jesus  made  it  so.  But  forget 
not,  beloved,  it  is  only  a  cistern.  And  what  more  ? 
Shall  I  wound  thee  if  I  say  it  ?  Tenderly  do  I  speak 
—  and  if,  instead  of  leading  you  to,  it  draws  you 
from,  the  Fountain,  in  unerring  wisdom,  and  in 
tender  mercy,  and  in  faithful  love,  the  Lord  will 
break  it,  that  thou  mayest  learn,  that  while  no  crea- 
ture can  be  a  substitute  for  him,  he  himself  can  be 


BROKEN   CISTERNS.  181 

a  substitute  for  all  creatures.     Thus,  his  friendship, 
his  love,  and  his  presence,  are  frequently  the  sweetest 
and  the  most  fully  enjoyed,  when  he  has  taken  all 
things  else  away.     Jesus  loves  you  far  too  much  to 
allow  another,  however  dear,  to  eclipse   and  rival 
him.     "  The   day   of  the  Lord   will   be   upon   all 
pleasant  pictures,"    and  then   the   poor,  imperfect 
copy  will  retire,  and  give  place  to  the  divine  and 
glorious  Original ;  and  God  in  Christ  will  be  all  in  all. 
One  thought  more— to  some,  perhaps,  the  sweetest 
in  this  work  — ^^g  door  of  return  u  still  open.     The 
Fountain  is  still  accessible.     The  waters  of  life  still 
flow.     "  Ho  !  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to 
the  waters  and  drink."     ''  The  Spirit  and  the  bride 
say,    Come."     "Return,,  thou    backsliding   Israel, 
saith  the  Lord,  and  I  will  not  cause  mine  anger  to 
fall  upon  you  ;  for  I  am  merciful,  saith  the  Lord,  and 
will  not  keep  anger  for  ever."     Let  your  restored 
heart  respond,  "  Come,  and  let  us  return  unto  the 
Lord  ;  for  he  hath  torn,  and  he  will  heal  us ;  he  hath 
smitten,  and  he  will  bind  us  up."     Be  your  posture, 
in  view  of  the  cisterns  which  the  Lord  has  broken 
around  you,    one   of  high   and   holy   expectation. 
The  Lord  often  removes  one  mercy,  preparatory  to 
the  bestowment  of  another.     And  he  never  i^ives 
less,  but  always   more,  than  he  takes  away.     You 
may  have  thought,  in  the  depth  of  your  heart's  deep 
sorrow,  that  your  wound  was  incurable,  and  that 
your  blessing  could  not  be  replaced.     But,  ah'  if 
Jesus  now  enters  thy  heart  through  the  breach  which 
his  own  hand  has  made,  and  occupies  the  vacancy 


182  BROKEN    CISTERNS. 

which  his  own  providence  has  created,  then  wilt  thou 
know  of  a  truth,  that  there  is  One  who  can  heal 
thy  wound,  and  replace  thy  mercy,  giving  you  back 
infinitely  more  than  he  took  away,  in  giving  you 
Himself.  You  have,  in  the  matter  of  your  sorrow, 
to  do  with  One  who  himself  was  wounded,  who 
himself  was  a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with 
grief;  and  who  well  understands  the  language  of 
grief,  the  meaning  of  sighs,  and  the  eloquence  of 
tears.  Dost  thou  go  to  thy  lonely  chamber  to  weep 
there,  thinking  none  are  cognizant  of  thy  grief? 
You,  too,  may  chant  a  song  in  the  night  of  your 
woe,  in  the  language  of  a  suffering  brother : — 

*'  There  was  I  met  by  One  who  had  himself 
Been  hurt  by  the  archers :  in  his  side  he  bore, 
And  in  his  hands  and  feet,  the  cruel  scar  : 
With  gentle  force,  soliciting  the  task, 
He  drew  them  forth,  and  healed  and  bade  me  live." 

"Who  can  tell  what  thoughts  of  peace,  what  resolves 
of  mercy,  and  what  purposes  of  grace  and  love,  may 
now  be  treasured  in  the  heart  of  God  towards  you  ? 
The  present  mournful  dealing  may  be  but  the  dark 
background  of  a  beautiful  picture  — portraying  the 
brightest,  the  holiest,  the  happiest  period  of  thy  life. 
And  this  broken  cistern  of  earth-born  hope,  over 
which  the  eye  weeps,  and  around  which  memory 
loves  so  fondly  to  linger,  may  but  give  place  to  those 
waters  of  renewing,  sanctifying  grace,  which  shall 
be  in  you  a  springing-well,  rising  into  everlasting 
life. 


BROKEN    CISTERNS.  183 

All  things  and  all  events  point  us  to,  and  are  lead- 
ing us  towards,  eternity  .  0  how  we  ahsorb  in  our 
present  sufferings  and  light  afflictions,  the  thought 
of  the  coming  death — the  coming  grave — the  com- 
ing judgment  —  the  coming  heaven  —  the  coming 
hell !  Our  sojourn  here  is  but  brief.  We  flit  away 
like  the  shadow  across  the  sun-dial.  We  weep  to- 
day, we  are  wept  for  to-morrow.  To-day  we  are 
toiling,  and  fighting,  and  suffering ;  and  anon,  if  be- 
lievers in  Jesus,  we  are  with  him,,  and  "  are  come 
unto  Mount  Sion,  and  unto  the  city  of  the  living 
God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  and  to  an  innumera- 
ble company  of  angels,  to  the  general  assembly  and 
church  of  the  first-born,  wdio  are  written  in  heaven, 
and  to  God  the  Judge  of  all,  and  to  the  spirits  of 
just  men  made  perfect,  and  to  Jesus  the  Mediator  of 
the  new  covenant,  and  to  the  blood  of  sprinkling, 
that  speaketh  better  things  than  that  of  Abel." 
Then,  let  us  "  gird  up  the  loins  of  our  minds,  be 
sober,  and  hope  to  the  end,  for  the  grace  that  is  to 
be  brought  unto  us  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus 
Christ."  Christ  will  soon  appear  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven.  "  The  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth  nigh.''' 
"The  Lord  is  at  hand.''  Let  us  hew  out  no  more 
cisterns  of  earthly  good ;  but  following  the  stream 
of  the  Lord's  love — deepening  and  widening  as  it 
ascends — let  us  rise  to  the  fountain-head  in  glory, 
having  our  conversation  in  heaven,  and  our  aflfec- 
tions  on  things  above,  where  Christ  sitteth  —  and 
from  whence  he  w^ill  come  again — at  the  right  hand 
of   God.     "Drink,   yea   drink   abundantly,  O   be- 


184  BROKEN   CISTERNS. 

loved !"  of  this  river,  is  your  Lord's  loving  invita- 
tion. You  cannot  take  to  it  too  many  vessels,  nor 
vessels  too  empty.  The  precious  "  fountain  opened 
to  the  house  of  David,  and  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Jerasalem,  is  "for  sin  and  uncleanness."  Then,  as 
sinners,  plunge  into  it,  "wash  and  be  clean." 
Think  not  that  you  are  alone  in  your  grief  at  cis- 
terns of  creature-good  thus  broken.  A  '  cloud  of 
witnesses '  surrounds  you,  all  testifying  that  the  fled 
joy  of  earth  gives  place  to  the  fall  and  permanent 
bliss  of  heaven  ;  that  Jesus  now  turns  his  people's 
sorrow  into  joy,  by  the  sustaining  power  of  faith, 
and  the  sweet  discoveries  of  love  ;  and  that  he  will 
perfect  that  joy  when  he  brings  them  to  drink  of  the 
"  pure  river  of  water  of  life,  clear  as  crj^stal,  pro- 
ceeding out  of  the  throne  of  God,  and  of  the 
Lamb."  May  sanctified  sorrow  enable  you  to  sing, 
as  one  has  done  before  you, — 

"  0  Saviour !  whose  mercy,  severe  in  its  kindness, 
lias  chastened  my  wanderings,  and  guided  my  way, 
Adored  be  the  power  which  illumined  my  blindness, 
And  weaned  me  from  phantoms  that  smiled  to  betray. 

"  Enchanted  with  all  that  was  dazzling  and  fair, 
I  followed  the  rainbow — I  caught  at  the  toy, — 
And  still  in  displeasure,  thy  goodness  was  there, 
Disappointing  the  hope,  and  defeating  the  joy. 

*'  The  blossom  blushed  bright,  but  a  worm  was  below; 
The  moonlight  shone  fair, — there  was  blight  in  the  beam  ; 
Sweet  whispered  the  breeze,  but  it  whispered  of  woe ; 
And  bitterly  flowed  in  the  soft  flowing  stream. 


BROKEN    CISTERNS.  18^ 

"  So  cured  of  my  folly,  yet  cured  but  in  part, 
I  turned  to  the  refuge  thy  pity  displayed  ; 
And  still  did  this  eager  and  credulous  heart 
Weave  visions  of  promise,  that  bloomed  but  to  fade. 

"  I  thought  that  the  course  of  the  pilgrim  to  heaven 
Would  be  bright  as  the  summer,  and  glad  as  the  morn  ; 
Thou  show'dst  me  the  path — it  was  dark  and  uneven — 
All  rugged  with  rock,  and  all  tangled  with  thorn. 

"  I  dreamed  of  celestial  rewards  and  renown  ; 
I  grasped  at  the  triumph  which  blesses  the  brave  ; 
I  asked  for  the  palm-branch,  the  robe,  and  the  crown  ; 
I  asked — and  thou  show'dst  me  a  cross  and  a  grave. 

"  Subdued  and  instructed,  at  length,  to  thy  will. 
My  hopes  and  my  longings  I  fain  would  resign  ; 
0  give  me  the  heart  that  can  wait  and  be  still, 
Nor  know  of  a  wish  or  a  pleasure  but  thine  ! 

L"  There  are  mansions  exempted  from  sin  and  from  woe. 
But  they  stand  in  a  region  by  mortals  untrod : 
There  are  rivers  of  joy,  but  they  roll  not  below  ; 
There  is  rest,  but  it  dwells  in  the  presence  of  God."  * 

*  Sir  Kobert  Grant. 


16* 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    COMING    OF    THE   LORD   IN   ITS    RELATION   TO 
NOMINAL    CHRISTIANITY. 

"  Our  lamps  arc  gone  out."  —  Matt.  xxv.  8. 

It  is  a  distinguishing  feature  of  the  word  of  God 
that  it  is  a  record  of  stupendous  and  authenticated 
facts  —  a  revelation  of  great  and  glorious  events,  a 
large  portion  of  which  yet  remains  to  be  fulfilled, 
but  which  will  as  certainly  be  accomplished  as  that 
God,  whose  Spirit  in  the  prophets  predicted  them, 
is  true.  To  the  contemplation  of  one  of  these  great 
transactions  —  the  first  in  point  of  importance,  and 
the  greatest  in  point  of  grandeur — the  attention  of 
the  reader  will  in  this  chapter  be  directed.  The 
coming  of  the  Lord  in  glory  and  majesty,  is  the 
event  of  unfulfilled  prophecy — the  central  point  of 
hope  to  the  Christian  Church,  and  will  be  the  signal 
of  terrible  judgments  upon  nominal  Christendom, 
and  the  unbelieving  world.  Surely  it  becomes  a 
question  with  each  individual,  of  the  most  serious 
moment,  "  What  part  will  be  assigned  to  me  in  the 
great  transaction  ?  What  will  be  my  position,  and 
shall  I  be  able  to  stand  v>'hen  he  appeareth  ?"  The 
reader  will  at  once  perceive  that  it  is  our  present 

(18G) 


THE   COxMING    OF   THE   LORD,  EtC.  187 

design  to  view  this  subject  in  its  practical  bearing 
upon  character,  and  more  particularly  in  its  solemn 
relation  to  o.  false  profession  of  Christ,  l^o  statement 
in  God's  word  can  possibly  be  clearer  than  that 
which  describes  the  Lord  as  finding,  when  he  comes, 
a  portion  of  the  professing  church  in  a  state  of  actual 
unpreparedness  for  the  event.  They  are  not  surprised 
in  a  state  of  infidelity,  or  of  atheism,  or  of  open 
and  gross  ungodliness,  "  eating  and  drinking  with 
the  drunken,"  but  in  the  assumed  character  of  pro- 
fessing Christians,  mingling  with  the  true  church 
of  God,  and  dreaming  —  alas  !  it  is  but  a  dream  ! — 
of  an  actual  participation  in  the  grace  that  is  to  be 
brought  unto  the  saints  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Our  Lord  thus  portrays  their  character  and 
describes  their  state  at  his  appearing  —  "And  at 
midnight  there  was  a  cry  made,  Behold  the  bride- 
groom Cometh;  go  ye  out  to  meet  him.  Then  all 
those  virgins  arose,  and  trimmed  their  lamps.  And 
the  foolish  said  unto  the  wise.  Give  us  of  your  oil, 
for  our  lamps  are  gone  (or,  are  going)  out."  Let  us, 
in  attempting  a  spiritual  and  a  practical  improve- 
ment of  these  solemn  and  searching  words,  direct 
our  attention,  first,  to  the  great  event  to  which  they 
refer;  and  then,  to  an  analysis  of  the  character 
which  they  describe. 

The  event  is  none  other  than  the  second  cominq 
OF  THE  Lord.  We  are  left  to  no  speculation  or 
surmise  as  to  the  certainty  of  this  event.  IsTot  more 
clearly  was  the  doctrine  of  the  first  advent  one  of 
express  revelation  and  distinct  announcement,  than 


188  THE   COMING   OF  THE  LORD   IN   ITS 

is  the  doctrine  of  the  second  advent.  It  is  a  doctrine 
of  Scripture,  and  therefore  to  be  studied  and  believed. 
And  never  will  the  standard  of  spirituality  in  the 
Christian  church  rise  to  its  proper  elevation,  nor  her 
serried  ranks  present  so  formidable  a  front  to  her 
foes,  until  she  has  been  brought  as  fully  to  receive 
and  as  joyfully  to  hail  the  one  advent  as  she  has 
fully  received  and  joyfully  hailed  the  other.  The 
truth  is,  the  discussions  which  have  agitated  and 
divided  the  Christian  church  as  to  the  mode  of  his 
coming,  have  tended,  we  fear,  to  avert  the  eye  of 
the  church  from  i\iQfact  of  the  Lord's  coming.  And 
thus,  the  blessed  hope,  the  glorious  appearing  of 
the  great  God  our  Saviour,"  which  should  have  been 
a  truth  uniting,  strengthening,  and  sanctifying  the 
*'  one  body,"  has  been  lost  sight  of  amidst  the  strife 
of  party  and  the  conflict  of  opinion.  But  we  will 
endeavour  to  present  to  the  believer's  eye  a  scrip- 
tural ghmpse  of  this  great  truth  —  a  truth,  than 
which,  none  can  be  more  earth-detaching  and 
heaven-attracting  to  a  believing  mind.  "We  have 
already  gone  at  some  length  into  the  Scripture 
testimony  to  the  doctrine  of  the  second  coming;* 
but  as  it  is  possible  that  these  pages  may  meet  the 
eye  of  some  who  have  not  given  to  this  line  of  argu- 
ment any  lengthened  attention,  we  will  arrange  a 
few  Scripture  proofs  under  their  proper  heads,  a 
candid  and  prayerful  examination  of  which  must 
lead  to  the  conviction  of  the  great  truth  which 
they   so   clearly   substantiate.     The   reader  is    re- 

*  "  The  Glory  of  the  Redeemer  in  his  Person  and  Work/' 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  189 

quested,  at  his  leisure,  to  turn  to  the  passages  in 
his  Bible. 

The  doctrine  of  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord  was 
fully  believed  and  ardently  anticipated  both  by  the  Old 
and  New  Testament  saints.  Jude  14 ;  Job  xix.  25, 
27;  Malachi  iii.  1,  2;  Dan.  vii.  9,  10;  John  viii. 
m  ;  Heb.  xi.  13,  39,  40;  Acts  vii.  5 ;  1  Cor.  i.  7,  8 ; 
xi.  26  ;  XV.  23 ;  Phil.  iii.  20,  21 ;  1  Thess.  i.  10 ;  ii. 
19  ;  iii.  13  ;  iv.  13—17 ;  v.  23  ;  2  Tim.  iv.  8 ;  Titus 
ii.  13;  Heb.  ix.  28;  1  Pet.  i,  7,  13;  1  John  iii.  2; 
Rev.  xxii.  20. 

Christ  will  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven.  Dan.  vii. 
13,  14;  Matt.  xxiv.  30;  xx\A.  64:  Acts  i.  9  —  11; 
Pvev.  i.  7. 

Sis  coming  will  be  sudden  and  unexpected.  Matt. 
xxiv.  38,  39 ;  xxv.  5,  6 ;  Mark  xiii.  34  —  36  ;  Luke 
xii.  39,  40:  1  Thess.  v.  2,  3;  2  Peter  iii.  10;  Eev. 
xvi.  15. 

The  gatliering  together  of  the  saints  to  meet  the 
Lord.  Matt.  xxiv.  30  ;  Luke  xvii.  34  —  36  :  1  Cor. 
XV.  22,  23,  51,  52 ;  Phil.  iii.  20,  21 ;  1  Thess.  iv.  16, 
17 ;  2  Thess.  ii.  1. 

The  trial  of  the  Christian  Church  previouly  to  the 
coming  of  the  Lord.  Dan.  xii.  1 ;  vii.  .  21,  25  ;  viii. 
12,  24 ;  Matt.  xxiv.  21,  22 ;  Eev.  xi.  7 ;  xiii.  7, 15, 
17 ;  xvii.  6 ;  xviii.  24 ;  Mai.  iii.  2,  3. 

The  sealing  of  the  saints  in  anticipation  of  this  time 
of  trial.    Ezek.  ix.  3—6 ;  Eev.  vii.  3. 

The  saints  will  reign  with  Christ:  Dan.  vii.  18,  22, 
27 ;  Psalm  xxxvii.  11 ;  Matt.  v.  5 ;  Luke  xxii.  29 ; 


190  THE    COMING    OF   THE   LORD    IN   ITS 

1  Cor.  vi.  2 ;  1  Thess.  iii.  13 ;  iv.  14 ;  2  Tim.  ii.  12 ; 
Eev.  XX.  4  ;  xxi.  1 — 3. 

The  iniquity  of  the  earth  will  he  full  at  the  coming 
of  the  Lord.  Matt  xxiv.  12—14 ;  2  Thess.  ii.  3  — 
10 ;  2  Tim.  iii.  1—5 ;  iv.  1—3 ;  Jude  IT,  18 ;  Eev. 
xiv.  19.  See  an  analogy  to  this  truth  in  the  des- 
truction of  the  wicked  in  the  time  of  Koah.  Gen. 
vi.  11  — 13.  And  subsequently  of  the  Amorites. 
Gen.  XV.  16.  And  then  of  the  Jews.  Matt,  xxiii. 
32,  33 ;  1  Thess.  ii.  14—16. 

The  gathering  together  of  the  Jezvs,  their  restoration 
to  their  own  land,  their  conversion,  and  the  judgment 
of  Crod  upon  their  enemies.  Deut.  xxx.  1  —  9  ;  Isa. 
xi.  11,  12 ;  Ix.  to  the  end ;  Ixv.  17  to  the  end ;  Ixvi. 
5  to  the  end ;  Jer.  iii.  14,  19 ;  chapters  xxx.  xxxi. 
xxxiii.;  Ezek.  xx.  33  —  38;  xxviii.  25,  26;  xxxvi. 
xxxvii.  xxxix.  25 — 28  ;  xxxiv.  22  ;  Jer.  xxiii.  3 — 8  ; 
Hos.  iii.  4,  5;  Amos  ix.  14,  15;  Zech.  viii.;  Luke  i. 
68,  72—75 ;  ii.  32 ;  xxi.  24 ;  Matt,  xxiii.  37  to  the 
end ;  Zech.  xii.  xiv. 

The  coming  of  the  3Iessiah  the  signal  of  vengeance 
upon  his  enemies.  Isa.  ii.  20,  21 ;  xi.  4 ;  xxvi.  21 ; 
xxxiv.  1—8 ;  Jer.  xxiii.  19,  20  ;  Ezek.  ix.  5,  7 ;  Joel 
iii.  9—16  ;  Mai.  iv.  1 ;  Zeph.  i.  14  to  end  ;  iii.  8 ;  2 
Thess.  i.  7—10  ;  Jude  14—19  ;  Eev.  viii.  7—13 ;  ix 
xiv.  7 — 10  ;  xvi.  xviii. 

The  doctrine  of  the  second  coming  of  our  Lord  a 
holy  influential  truth.  A  motive  to  godly  sorrow, 
Acts  iii.  19  —  21.  To  holiness  of  life  and  divine 
conformity,  Matt.  xvi.  27 ;  1  John  ii.  28 ;  iii.  2,  3  ; 
Eev.  xxii.     To  the  mortification  of  sin  in  believers, 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  191 

Col.  iii.  4,  5  ;  Titus  ii.  11—13.  To  spirituality  of 
mind,  Phil.  iii.  20,  21.  To  watchfulness.  Matt.  xxiv. 
42—44  ;  XXV.  13;  Luke  xii.  35  — 37  ;  1  Thess.  v.  4 
— 6  ;  Rev.  xvi.  15.  To  patience  and  long-suffering, 
Luke  xviii.  7,  8 ;  2  Thess.  i.  4—7 ;  Ileb.  x.  3G,  37 ; 
James  v.  7,  8 ;  1  Peter  i.  6,  7 ;  iv.  12,  13.  To 
moderation  and  sobriety,  Phil.  iv.  5 ;  1  Peter  i.  13. 
Against  censorious  judgment,  1  Cor.  iv.  5.  To 
ministerial  fidelity  and  diligence,  Matt.  xxiv.  45,  46; 
1  Thess.  ii.  19;  1  Tim.  vi.  13,  14;  2  Tim.  iv.  12. 
To  growth  in  grace  and  holiness,  2  Pet.  iii.  11 — 14. 
To  the  study  of  prophecy,  Eev.  xxii.  7.* 

From  this  line  of  Scripture  testimony  to  the 
truth  of  the  doctrine  of  our  Lord's  second  appear- 
ing, let  us  proceed  to  take  a  rapid  glance  at  some 
of  its  more  interesting  and  prominent  character- 
istics. 

The  first  point  that  strikes  ns  is,  the  long  interval 
which  transpires  previously  to  the  accomplishment  of 
the  event.  But  in  this  we  see  an  illustration  of  the 
wisdom  and  mercy  which  have  ever  been  so  conspi- 
cuous in  the  Divine  government.  Immediately 
after  the  apostle  had  announced  the  truth  of  the 
Lord's  coming,  he  found  it  necessary  to  guard  the 
individuals  to  whom  he  had  written  against  the 
idea  of  the  Lord's  immediate  appearing, —  an  error 
into  which  they  had  evidently  fallen, —  and  which, 
in  a  second   letter,  he   thus   corrects :    *'  Kow  we 

*  Sec  an  excellent  tract,  "  The  Closing  Scenes  of  the  Present 
Dispensation." 


102  THE    COMING    OF   THE   LORD   IN   ITS 

beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the  coming  of  our  Lord 
Jesus,  and  by  our  gathering  together  unto  him, 
that  ye  be  not  soon  shaken  in  mind,  nor  be  troubled 
neither  by  spirit,  nor  by  word,  nor  by  letter  as  from 
us,  as  that  the  day  of  Christ  is  at  hand.  2  Thess. 
ii.  1,  2.  Thus  it  clearly  appears  that,  so  far  from 
the  doctrine  of  tlie  Lord's  coming  being  a  strange 
and  a  novel  idea  to  the  early  church,  it  was  not  only 
an  article  of  their  belief,  but  it  was  the  theme  of 
their  joy,  and  the  cherished  object  of  their  anticipa- 
tion. The  apostle,  however,  found  it  necessary  to 
check  this  ardent  feeling  of  the  early  Christians,  by 
reminding  them,  that  certain  great  events  must 
transpire,  preparatory  to  the  coming  of  the  Lord. 
He  then  proceeds  to  specify  two  in  particular — a 
season  of  great  spiritual  declension,  and  the 
temporary  ascendency  of  the  papal  power.  "Let 
no  man  deceive  you  by  any  means :  for  that  day 
will  not  come,  except  there  come  a  falling  away 
first,  and  that  man  of  sin  be  revealed,  the  son  of 
perdition."  2  Thess.  ii.  3.  And  is  there  nothing, 
we  earnestly  ask,  in  the  events  which  are  now 
transpiring,  identical  with  these  two  remarkable 
premonitions  of  the  advent  of  the  son  of  God? 
Are  there  not  a  sad  waning  of  spirituality,  a  declen- 
sion of  vital  godliness,  of  heart-felt  religion  ?  And 
are  there  not  also  a  painful  defection  from  the  doc- 
trines of  grace,  and  a  revival  of  Popery  in  a  form 
the  most  specious  and  seductive,  and  therefore  the 
more  alarming?  Let  the  reader  make  himself 
intelligently  acquainted  Vvdth  tlic  history  of  liis  own 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  193 

times,    read,    compare,   and  judge,  and  be   found 
prepared  for  the  final  issue. 

We  may  regard  the  delay  attendant  upon  the 
second  coming,  in  yet  another  and  an  interesting 
point  of  view,  namely,  as  illustrating  the  dispensa- 
tion of  mercy  under  which  we  live.  As  in  the  ante- 
diluvian world,  "the  long-suffering  of  God  waited 
in  the  days  of  ISToah,"  thus  affording  to  the  impeni- 
tent space  for  repentance  ere  the  Lord  came  in  the 
terror  of  his  judgment ;  so,  as  it  regards  the  coming 
of  the  Son  of  Man,  —  the  interval  between  the  pre- 
diction and  its  accomplishment,  is  an  interval  of 
mercy  to  the  ungodly  and  impenitent  world.  The 
long-suffering  of  the  Lord  now  waiteih,  God  has 
ever  shown  himself  slow  in  the  execution  of  judg- 
ment, but  quick  in  the  exercise  of  mercy.  His  wrath 
has  been  wont  to  linger,  as  if  reluctant  to  break 
forth  ;  but  his  goodness  has  ever  gone  before  us,  as 
if  by  anticipation,  meeting  and  providing  for  our 
need.  The  coming  of  the  Lord,  while  it  will  con- 
summate the  blessed  hope  of  the  Church,  will,  to  an 
ungodly,  infidel  world,  be  the  fearful  signal  of  over- 
whelming judgments.  Hence  the  delay.  Mercy 
stays  the  uplifted  arm  of  vengeance,  and  cries," 
"Forbear!"  The  Lord  '-'- ivaiteth  to  be  gracious." 
"I  gave  her  space  for  repentance."  The  divine 
banner  is  extended,  an  armistice  is  proclaimed,  pro- 
posals of  peace  are  made,  a  plan  of  reconciliation 
is  announced  —  rebel  sinners  are  urged  to  ground 
their  arms,  and  to  submit  to  the  government  of  God. 
Yet,  see  how  the  scoffers  requite  this  merciful  delay  ! 
17 


194  THE   COMING    OF   THE   LORD   IN   ITS 

*'  There  will  come  in  the  last  days  scoffers,  walking 
after  their  own  lusts,  and  saying,  Where  is  the  pro- 
mise of  his  coming?  for  since  the  fathers  fell  asleep, 
all  things  continue  as  they  were  from  the  beginning 
of  the  creation."  "Because  sentence  against  an 
evil  work  is  not  executed  speedily,  therefore  the 
heart  of  the  sons  of  men  is  fully  set  in  them  to  do 
evil."  But  Christ  will  come :  and  "  Who  may 
abide  the  day  of  his  coming  ?  and  who  shall  stand 
when  he  appeareth  !"  Kot  those  who  Svalk  in  the 
counsel  of  the  ungodly,  and  stand  in  the  way  of 
sinners,  and  sit  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful.'  They 
'  shall  be  like  the  chaff  which  the  wind  driveth  away ; 
the  ungodly  shall  not  stand  in  the  judgment,  nor 
sinners  in  the  congregation  of  the  righteous. 

But  in  what  cliaracter,  with  especial  relation  to  his 
Church,  will  our  Lord  appear?  It  will  be  tw^ofold. 
He  will  come,  first,  as  a  triumphant  King.  As  a 
victorious  King,  he  is  now  enthroned  in  glory. 
"  Thou  hast  ascended  on  high  ;  thou  hast  led  capti- 
vity captive."  He  returned  back  to  heaven  as  a 
conqueror  over  sin,  hell,  and  death,  ^ever  did  a 
Eoman  victor  return  from  the  battle-field  bearing 
such  spoil,  nor  amidst  such  glory  and  acclamation, 
as  that  with  which  Jesus  returned  to  his  kingdom. 
The  Captain  of  our  salvation  had  gotten  him  the 
victory  over  every  foe  of  his  Church.  He  met  and 
battled,  single-handed  and  alone,  the  combined  hosts 
of  his  enemies,  and  hers.  And  although  he  fell  in 
the  conflict,  he  yet  w^on  the  battle.  He  conquered 
by  submitting  to  conquest ;  he  overcame  in  being 
overcome.     He  slew  death  in  being  slain  by  death. 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  195 

Want  you  a  coniirmation  to  your  belief  in  the 
essential  Deity  of  3^our  coming  Lord  ?  Behold  it, 
beloved.  Where  will  you  turn  to  the  record  of  a 
battle  so  strange,  between  combatants  so  opposite, 
and  attended  by  results  so  wondrous?  That,  in  the 
greatest  weakness,  our  Lord  should  demonstrate  his 
greatest  strength;  that,  by  a  decided  defeat,  he  should 
prove  the  victor ;  and  that,  in  succumbing  to  the 
power  and  dominion  of  death,  he  should  be  the 
death  of  death !  01 1 !  how  truly  divine  does  he 
appear !  Believer  in  Jesus  !  the  King,  whose  banner 
weaves  over  you,  has  fought  and  won  all  your  battles. 
One  with  him,  every  believer  is  victorious.  Treading 
in  his  Lord's  footsteps,  he  overcomes,  even  as  he 
overcame.  It  is  impossible  but  that  the  weakest 
believer  must  obtain  the  victory  in  the  severe  con- 
flict which  he  is  w^aging  with  the  foe.  He  may  at 
times  be  foiled,  embarrassed,  and  overcome,  but  he 
will  ultimately  triumph.  Vincimur  in  prselia,  sed 
non  in  hello.  The  battle  may  go  against  us,  but  not 
the  war.  Faith  realizing  its  union  with  the  Lord, 
obtains  the  victory.  And  never  does  the  believer 
go  forth  to  face  the  enemy  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  but 
with  the  disciples  he  may  exclaim,  "Lord,  even  the 
devils  are  subject  unto  us  through  thy  name." 
Come,  ye  faint  and  exhausted  warriors !  and  refresh 
your  spirits  and  renew  your  strength  with  this 
precious  truth — your  Captain  is  victorious  !  He  who 
lives  for  you  upon  the  throne  —  he  who  dwells  in 
you  by  his  Spirit,  is  he  who  rose  to  glory  with  your 
every  foe  chained  in  defeat  and  humiliation  to  his 


196  THE   COMING   OF  THE   LORD   IN  ITS 

chariot,  "carrjnng  captivity  captive."  Do  you  still 
hesitate  to  believe  so  great  a  truth  ?  Hark  how  his 
angelic  escort  heralded  his  approach  to  glory  ! 
"Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye  gates,  even  lift  them  up, 
ye  everlasting  doors ;  and  the  King  of  glory  shall 
come  in.  Who  is  this  Xing  of  glory  ?  The  Lord 
strong  and  mighty,  the  Lord  mighty  in  battle." 

"  Hark,  ten  thousand  harps  and  voices 
Sound  the  note  of  praise  above  1 
Jesus  reigns,  and  heaven  rejoices  : 

Jesus  reigns  the  God  of  love : 
See,  he  fills  yon  azure  throne  ! 
Jesus  rules  the  world  alone. 

**  King  of  glory,  reign  for  ever ! 
Thine  an  everlasting  crown  : 
Nothing  from  thy  love  shall  sever 

Those  whom  thou  hast  made  thine  own  : 
Happy  objects  of  thy  grace, 
Destined  to  behold  thy  face. 

"  Saviour,  hasten  thine  appearing ; 
Bring,  0  bring  the  glorious  day  1 
When  the  awful  summons  hearing, 

Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away, 
Then  with  golden  harps  we'll  sing. 
Glory  to  our  reigning  King." 

But  our  Lord,  although  a  victorious,  is  not  a 
triumphant  King,  l^ov  will  he  be,  until  he  comes 
the  second  time  to  receive  his  kingdom,  and  to 
reign  in  undisputed  and  universal  supremacy  in  the 
bosom  of  a  gathered  church,  and  over  a  subdued 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  197 

and  renovated  world.  He  will  then  appear  "  more 
than  a  conqueror" — even  triumphant.  He  is 
represented  as  having,  "after  he  had  offered  one 
sacrifice  for  sins  for  ever,  sat  down  on  the  right 
hand  of  God ;  from  henceforth  expecting  till  his 
enemies  be  made  his  footstool."  What  are  we  to 
gather  from  this  statement  ?  Much  that  is  deeply 
and  gloriously  significant.  It  describes  the  Re- 
deemer in  the  interval  between  the  victory  and  the 
triumph  —  the  victory  which  signalized  his  past 
humiliation,  and  the  triumph  which  will  aggrandize 
his  coming  glory.  It  defines  his  position  of  repose 
and  his  attitude  of  expectation.  It  is  impossible  not 
to  perceive,  in  these  remarkable  words,  a  reference 
to  another  and  a  final  conflict  —  the  issue  of  that 
conflict  being  the  crowning  act  of  his  glory.  Are 
his  enemies  yet  his  footstool  ?  Are  all  things  yet 
subdued  under  him  ?  Is  the  world  subdued  ?  Is 
sin  subdued  ?  Is  Anti-christ  subdued  ?  Are  the 
powers  of  darkness  subdued  ?  Is  death  subdued  ? 
^o\  But  they  shall  be.  At  what  time?  When 
Christ  "shall  appear  the  second  time  without  sin," 
or  a  sin-offering,  and  therefore  no  more  as  a  Priest 
who  is  to  die;  "unto  salvation" — and  therefore  as  a 
King  who  is  to  reign.  "Then  cometh  the  end, 
when  he  shall  have  delivered  up  the  kingdom  to 
God,  even  the  Father  ;  when  he  shall  have  put  down 
all  rule,  and  all  authority,  and  power.  For  he  must 
reign,  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies  under  his  feet. 
Then,  then  will  our  Lord  appear  as  a  triumphant 
King  to  your  eye.  Picture  the  scene  !  Every  foe 
17* 


198  THE    COMING    OF   THE    LORD    IN   ITS 

now  falls  before  him.  Death,  the  last  enem}^  is 
destroyed.  All  his  enemies  are  "  consumed  with 
the  spirit  of  his  mouth" — the  universal  diffusion  of 
his  gospel,  "and  with  the  brightness  of  his  coming" 
— the  kingly  power  of  his  advent.  All  Antichrists 
retire  —  their  imposture  exposed,  and  their  preten- 
sions confounded — and  Christ  remains  in  triumph. 
All  earthly  kingdoms  are  dissolved — their  dominion 
destroyed,  and  their  glory  passed  away  —  and  the 
kingdom  of  Messiah  fills  the  world.  All  principali- 
ties and  powers  lay  down  their  sovereignty  at  his 
feet,  and  Immanuel  triumphantly  reigns,  having  on 
his  vesture  and  on  his  thigh  a  name  written — "  King 

OF  KINGS,  AND  LORD  OF  LORDS." 

"  He  shall  reign  from  pole  to  pole, 
With  illimitable  sway ; 
He  shall  reign,  when,  like  a  scroll, 
Yonder  heavens  have  passed  away. 
Man's  last  enemy  shall  fall, 
Hallelujah,  Christ  in  God, 
God  in  Christ,  is  all  in  all." 

But  our  Lord  will  appear  in  another  character, — 
one  particularly  endearing  to  his  Church.  He  will 
come  as  her  Bridegroom.  "Behold,  the  Bridegroom 
cometh!"  Jesus  sustains  no  relation  to  his  Church 
more  expressive  than  this.  From  all  eternity  he  be- 
trothed her  to  himself,  and  for  ever.  He  asked  her 
at  the  hands  of  her  Father,  and  the  Father  gave  her 
to  him.  He  entered  into  a  covenant  that  she  should 
be  his.   The  conditions  of  that  covenant  were  great, 


RELATION   TO    NOMINAL    CHRISTIANITY.  199 

but  not  too  great  for  his  love  to  undertake.  They 
were,  that  he  should  assume  her  nature,  discharge 
her  legal  obligations,  endure  her  punishment,  repair 
her  ruin,  and  bring  her  to  glory.  He  undertook  all, 
and  he  accomplished  all  —  because  he  loved  her. 
The  love  of  Jesus  to  his  Church  is  the  love  of  the 
most  tender  husband.  It  is  single,  constant,  affec- 
tionate, matchless,  wonderful.  He  sympathizes  with 
her,  nourishes  her,  provides  for  her,  clothes  her, 
watches  over,  and  indulges  her  with  the  most  inti- 
mate and  endearing  communion.  ''Christ  also 
loved  the  church,  and  gave  himself  for  it;  that 
he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the  washing  of 
water  by  the  word ;  that  he  might  present  it  to  him- 
self a  glorious  church,  not  having  spot  or  wrinkle, 
or  any  such  thing ;  but  that  it  should  be  holy  and 
without  blemish."  Reader,  know  you  what  this 
union  with  Jesus  is  ?  Apart  from  its  experience, 
pride  not  yourself  upon  any  other  union.  The  dear- 
est, choicest  ties  of  human  affection  are  but  as  brit- 
tle glass.  They  are  easily  broken,  and  soon  de- 
stroyed. 1^0  union,  but  that  which  is  with  Jesus, 
and  in  Jesus,  extends  bej^ond  the  grave.  He  must 
share  in  every  tie  of  creature  love,  if  it  be  holy  and 
permanent.  Think  not  that  the  union  of  holy  hearts 
is  dissolved  by  death.  O  no  ! — death  does  not  sever, 
death  unites  the  sanctified.  The  bonds  of  the  holy 
are  beyond  his  ruthless  power  to  break.  The  love 
which  the  image  of  Jesus,  reflected  in  his  people,  in- 
spires, is  as  deathless  as  the  love  of  Jesus  himself. 
It  is  as   immortal   as   their  own  redeemed,  trans- 


200  THE   COMING   OF  THE  LORD   IN   ITS 

formed,  and  glorified  nature.  And  in  reference  to 
a  more  divine  and  elevated  sentiment  than  that 
to  which  the  poet  refers,  we  apply  his  beautiful 
words, — 

"  They  sin  who  tell  us  love  can  die : 
With  life  all  other  passions  fly, — 
All  others  are  but  vanity  ; 

But  love  is  indestructible. 
Its  holy  flame  forever  burneth  ; 
From  heaven  it  came,  to  heaven  returneth." 

But  the  Lord  Jesus  will  come  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven,  and  this  will  be  the  occasion  of  his  public 
espousal  of  his  Church.  Her  present  union  to  him 
is  secret  and  unknown, — invisible  to  the  world,  and 
often  concealed  to  herself.  But  he  will  appear, 
openly  and  visibly,  to  take  her  to  himself;  and  be- 
fore his  Father  and  the  holy  angels,  he  will  solemn- 
ize her  eternal  union.  O  what  a  time  of  splendour 
and  of  rejoicing  will  that  be !  Arrayed  in  his  nup- 
tial robes,  Jesus  will  descend  to  make  her  his  own  ; 
and  she,  "prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  hus- 
band, will  go  forth  to  meet  him."  Then  will  be 
heard  the  song  of  angels, — "  Let  us  be  glad  and  re- 
joice, and  give  honour  to  him  ;  for  the  marriage  of 
the  Lamb  is  come,  and  his  wife  hath  made  herself 
ready."  Yes!  "blessed  are  they  who  are  called 
unto  the  marriage-supper  of  the  Lamb."  May  the 
writer  and  the  reader,  through  grace,  sit  down  to- 
gether there ! 

But  there  will  be  those  whom  the  coming  of  the 
Lord  will  surprise  in  a  state  of  total  unpreparedness. 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  201 

Our  allusion  now  is  to  nominal  i^rofessors  of  Chriat. 
To  such  the  words  of  our  Lord's  parable  unques- 
tionably refer  —  That  the  "five  foolish  virgins" 
were  professors  of  the  Gospel,  cannot  admit  of  a 
doubt.  They,  too,  like  the  true  disciples  of  Jesus, 
had  their  lamps.  But  they  were  lamps  merely,  and 
nothing  more.  When  the  Bridegroom  came,  they 
were  found  empty,  without  one  particle  of  oil,  and 
the  despairing  cry  was, — ''  Our  lamps  are  going 
out !"  But  let  us,  with  all  solemnity,  portray  the 
character. 

In  attempting  to  describe  the  case  of  a  mere  pro- 
fessor of  the  Gospel,  we  will  commence  with  his  re- 
ligious creed.  Herein,  we  fear,  lies  his  deepest  self- 
deception.  He  is,  perhaps,  a  profound  theologian, 
is  well  schooled  in  the  *five  points'  of  divinity,  is 
an  acute  reasoner,  a  skilful  debater,  and  an  able  and 
vigilant  defender  of  the  outposts  of  Christianity. 
He  can  subscribe  fully  to  the  Thirty-nine  Articles, 
to  the  Westminster  Confession,  and  to  the  general 
truths  of  revelation.  He  has  no  doubt  of  the  di- 
vinity of  the  Bible,  his  creed  is  well  balanced,  and 
his  general  views  of  truth  would  be  considered  evan- 
gelical and  orthodox.  And  yet,  thus  far  may  he 
proceed  in  the  deepest  self-deception.  With  all  this 
"form  of  knowledge,"  this  lodgment  of  the  truth 
in  the  understanding,  this  subscription  of  the  intel- 
lect to  the  doctrines  of  revelation,  he  is  an  utter 
stranger  to  that  heart-transformation,  that  inward 
illumination  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  without  which  the 
soul  is  spiritually  dead,  the  heart  is  unrenewed  and 


202  THE    COMING    OF   THE    LORD    IN    ITS 

unholy,  and  the  whole  moral  man  is  unfit  for  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  In  short,  we  have  here  the 
case  of  one  who,  while  his  judgment  assents  to  the 
truth,  his  heart  entirely  rejects  it.  The  Gospel  is  to 
him  a  thing  of  intellectual  subscription,  and  not  of 
heart  experience.  ISTot  a  single  truth  of  the  Bible 
has  become  an  element  of  life  and  holiness  in  his 
soul.  The  word,  in  its  letter,  is  an  instrument  of 
light ;  but  not,  in  its  spirit,  is  it  an  instrument  of 
quickening.  With  such  deep-meaning  declarations 
as  these,  he  is  experimentally  unacquainted : — "  The 
law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  converting  the  soul :  the 
testimony  of  the  Lord  is  sure,  making  wise  the  sim- 
ple." "Thy  word  hath  quickened  me."  "Being 
born  again,  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorrup- 
tible, by  the  word  of  God,  which  liveth  and  abideth 
forever."  "Of  his  own  will  begat  he  us,  with  the 
word  of  truth."  "  Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth." 
Thus  far  will  the  religion  of  intellect  extend.  The 
grand  point  at  which  this  religion  rests  short,  is  — 
Regeneration,  a  word  mighty  in  its  import,  al- 
though entirely  excluded  from  the  theological  vo- 
cabulary of  the  man  of  mere  intellectual  subscrip- 
tion to  Divine  truth.  Yet,  what  a  mighty  doctrine 
is  this  !  There  it  stands  in  the  Bible,  and  it  cannot 
be  erased.  We  tell  the  man  proud  of  his  ortho- 
doxy, and  boasting  of  his  well-poised  creed, — we  tell 
the  man  of  sound  philosophy,  and  of  high  intel- 
lectual attainments, — that  though  he  had  the  gift  of 
prophecy,  and  understood  all  mysteries  and  all 
knowledge,  yet  without  the  regenerating  grace  of 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  203 

the  Holy  Spirit,  and  supreme  love  to  God,  the  light 
within  him  is  darkness,  and  that  darkness  is  the  cer- 
tain prelude  to  the  "  blackness  of  darkness  "  of  de- 
spair. "  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of 
THE  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God." 

Shall  we  describe  him  in  his  general  conduct? 
This,  perhaps,  is  exemplary  and  commendable.  As 
a  member  of  a  Christian  church,  holding,  it  may  be, 
an  office  of  distinction  and  responsibility,  as  a  pa- 
rent, as  a  master,  as  a  citizen,  men  admire  and  com- 
mend him.  He  is  a  zealous  partizan,  is  the  man  of 
societies,  of  committees,  and  of  meetings.  His  name 
may  be  found  high  upon  the  subscription  list,  and 
appended  to  generous  donations.  He  is  a  religious 
patriot.  He  will  devote  his  talents,  his  time,  and  his 
wealth,  to  the  erection  of  public  sanctuaries,  or  to 
the  propagation  of  the  Gospel,  or  in  promoting  va- 
rious benevolent  and  popular  enterprises.  In  the 
more  retired  walks  of  domestic  life,  the  same  spe- 
cies of  religion  may  be  seen.  He  will  bend  his  knee 
in  family  worship,  catechise  his  children,  instruct 
his  domestics,  and  seek  to  inculcate  and  exemplify 
that  which  is  lovely  and  of  good  report. 

But  follow  this  Christian  professor  into  the  world. 
Is  it  evident  that  the  great  separation  has  taken 
place?  Is  he  there  a  witness  for  God?  Ah,  no! 
He  can  mingle  with  the  world,  and  be  of  the  world, 
and  be  as  the  world,  and  yet  not  misplace  a  single 
fold  of  the  silken  robe  with  which  his  religion  in- 
vests him.     He  talks  of  its  innocent  recreations  as 


204  THE   COMING   OF   THE   LORD   IN   ITS 

Bources  of  higli  and  justifiable  enjoyment.  He  can 
devour  the  contents  of  a  novel,  or  contemplate  the 
transactions  of  a  play,  with  the  same  interest  with 
w^hich  he  bends  over  the  pages  of  inspiration.  The 
dizzy  mazes  of  the  dance,  and  the  voluptuous  music 
of  the  oratorio,  and  the  delirious  excitement  of  the 
cup,  are  sources  of  enjoyment  greater  and  more  fre- 
quent than  the  hallowed  engagements  of  the  sanc- 
tuary. This  is  the  man  of  mere  religious  profession. 
Have  I  exaggerated  the  picture  ?  Ah,  no  !  I  have 
drawn  from  life.  That  there  are  innumerable  cases 
of  false  profession,  not  so  glaring,  or  so  strongly 
marked,  or  so  easy  of  detection  and  of  analysis  as 
this,  I  readily  admit.  Instances,  many,  of  an  exter- 
nal putting  on  of  Christ,  and  of  a  very  zealous  en- 
gagement in  his  service,  and  of  apparent  consistency 
of  walk,  of  much  acquaintance  with  Scripture,  and 
fluency  of  religious  phraseology,  in  which,  neverthe- 
less, the  great  separation  of  the  man  from  his  own 
righteousness  has  never  taken  place  —  the  convic- 
tion of  sin,  never  felt  —  brokenness  of  heart,  never 
experienced  —  faith  in  Jesus,  never  exercised  —  the 
pardoning  love  of  God,  never  realized  —  the  pre- 
ciousness  and  graciousness  of  the  Lord,  never  tasted. 
Even  this  may,  by  some,  be  thought  too  strong  a 
picture  of  self-deception.  l!Tot  stronger  than  that 
which  Jesus  himself  drew:  —  "N^ot  every  one  that 
saith  unto  me.  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of 
my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  Many  shall  say  to 
me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  205 

in  thy  name,  and  in  thy  name  have  cast  out  devils, 
and  in  thy  name  done  many  wonderful  works? 
And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew 
you ;  depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity." 
These  are  searching,  solemn  words  !  Who  can  read 
them  with  composure,  without  fixing  his  eye  of  faith 
upon  the  cross  of  Jesus,  exclaiming,  as  he  looks, 
"  Sinners,  of  whom  I  am  chief?  Who  has  not,  at 
times,  been  overwhelmed  with  the  self-agonizing 
thought,  "What,  if  I  should  be  found  at  last  to 
have  possessed  nought  but  the  empty  lamp  of  a 
Christian  profession?"  Happy  are  they  whom  the 
searching  inquiry  may  lead  more  entirely  from 
themselves,  to  look  to  Christ,  to  rest  in  Christ,  to 
walk  in  Christ,  —  in  the  truth  of  Christ,  in  the  love 
of  Christ,  and  in  the  spirit  of  Christ ! 

But  the  dim  and  flickering  light  which  a  mere 
informed  judgment,  or  which  an  external  profession 
gives,  sooner  or  later  is  extinguished.  A  season  of 
2orosperity  often  proves  fatal  to  a  profession  of  godli- 
ness. Divine  Providence  smiles,  riches  increase, 
and  with  them  the  temptations  and  the  snares,  the 
luxury,  indulgence,  and  worldly  show,  which  are 
inseparable  from  the  accumulation  of  unsanctified 
and  unconsecrated  wealth.  And  what  are  the  re- 
sults ?  In  most  cases,  the  entire  relinquishment  of 
the  outward  garb  of  a  religious  costume.  Found  to 
be  in  the  way  of  the  full  indulgence  of  the  carnal 
mind,  it  is  laid  aside  altogether;  and  thus  freed  from 
all  the  restraints  which  consistency  imposed,  the 
heart  at  once  plunges  deep  into  the  world  it  all  the 
18 


206  THE   COMING    OF   THE   LORD   IN   ITS 

while  secretly  loved,  sighed  for,  and  worshipped. 
Oh !  what  a  severe,  but  true,  test  of  religious  prin- 
ciple is  this !  How  soon  it  detects  the  spurious  and 
the  false  !  How  soon  does  the  verdure  wither  away  ! 
"  The  cares  of  this  world,  and  the  deceitfulness  of 
riches,  choke  the  word,  and  it  becometh  unfruitful." 
"The  prosperity  of  fools  shall  destroy  them."  But 
if  a  professing  man  passes  through  this  trial,  and 
still  retains  his  integrity — still  walks  closely  and 
humbly  with  God  —  still  adheres  to  the  lowly  cross- 
bearing  path  of  Jesus — is  still  found  as  diligent  in 
waiting  upon  God  in  public  and  private  means  of 
grace  —  is  still  as  meek,  condescending,  and  kind, 
increasing  in  devotedness,  liberality,  and  love,  with 
the  increase  of  God's  providential  goodness  around 
him,  such  a  man  has  the  "root  of  the  matter  in 
him;"  and  "he  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  the 
rivers  of  water,  that  bringeth  forth  his  fruit  in  his 
season;  his  leaf  shall  not  wither;  and  whatsoever 
he  doeth  shall  prosper."  His  prosperity  has  not 
destroyed  him. 

A  time  of  adversity  is  often  equally  as  fatal  to  a 
profession  of  religion,  founded  upon  no  true  Chris- 
tian principle.  If,  in  the  smooth  path,  we  are  apt 
to  slide,  in  the  rough  path  we  may  stumble. 
Periods  of  great  revolution  in  the  historj^  of  the 
Christian  Church,  when  God  tries  the  principles, 
the  conscience,  the  love,  and  the  faith  of  his  people, 
are  test-periods.  What  numbers  make  shipwreck 
then  of  their  high  profession  !  And  whe^  God 
enters  the  pleasant  garden   of  a  man's   domestic 


RELATION    TO    NOMINAL    CHRISTIANITY.  207 

blessings,  and  blows  upon  the  lovely  blossom,  or 
blights  the  fair  flower,  or  severs  the  pleasant 
bough,  or  scatters  the  hard-earned  wealth  of  years, 
or  wastes  the  body's  vigour,  or  frustrates  the  fond 
scheme,  how  does  an  unrenewed  man  deport  him- 
self? Is  his  carriage  humble,  submissive,  child- 
like ?  Does  stern  Christian  principle  now  exhibit 
itself,  in  beautiful  contrast  with  the  trial  that  has 
called  it  forth?  Does  Divine  grace,  like  the 
aromatic  flower,  now  appear  the  sweeter  and  the 
lovelier  for  its  being  crushed?  I^ay,  does  not 
every  feeling  of  the  heart  rise  in  maddened  rebel- 
lion against  God  and  against  his  government? 
Ah,  yes!  how  accurately  does  Christ  describe 
his  case!  — ''he  hath  not  root  in  himself,  but 
endureth  for  a  while ;  for  when  tribulation  or  per- 
secution ariseth  because  of  the  word,  by  and  by  he 
is  oiFended." 

It  is  impossible  to  blind  the  eyes  to  the  truth, 
that  a  time  of  trial,  such  as  the  Christian  Church 
has  never  yet  experienced,  is  fast  approaching. 
Our  Lord  foretells  it.  "  There  shall  be  great  tribula- 
tion, such  as  was  not  from  the  beginning  of  the 
world  to  this  time,  no,  nor  ever  shall  be.  And 
except  those  days  should  be  shortened,  there  should 
no  flesh  be  saved:  but  for  the  elect's  sake  those 
days  shall  be  shortened."  Daniel's  "horn"  is  yet 
to  "  make  war  with  the  saints,  and  prevail  against 
them  until  the  Ancient  of  Days  come,  and  judg- 
ment is  given  to  the  saints  of  the  Most  High."  To 
this  period  of  trial,  just  previously  to  the  Lord's 


208  THE    COMING   OF   THE   LORD   IN   ITS 

second  coming,  the  same  prophet  again  refers  in 
lan2:uao:e  similar  to  Christ's.  "  At  that  time  shall 
Michael  stand  up,  the  great  prince  who  standeth  for 
the  children  of  thy  people :  and  there  shall  be  a 
time  of  trouble,  such  as  there  never  was  since  there 
was  a  nation  even  to  that  same  time."  Dan.  xii.  1. 
Then  will  the  Lord  bring  the  principles  of  his 
people  to  the  touchstone  of  truth.  Then  will  he 
sift  professors  as  corn  is  sifted,  and  the  storm  will 
scatter  the  chaff  of  mere  profession,  while  not  a 
grain  of  the  true  wheat  shall  fall  to  the  ground. 
The  trial  thus  so  clearly  predicted,  and  so  evidently 
approaching,  will  be,  not  so  much  a  trial  of  sepa- 
rate branches  of  the  Christian  Church,  as  it  wdll  be 
a  trial  of  the  whole  body.  It  will  be  a  battle  for 
the  great  essential  truths  of  the  gospel,  held  in 
common  by  all,  and  in  which  general  and  severe 
conflict,  all  the  minor  and  indifferent  things  that 
have  so  long  divided  and  dismembered  the  church 
of  Christ,  will  be  lost  sight  of  and  forgotten,  — 
merged  in  one  great  common  cause,  against  one 
great  common  foe.  This  period  of  trial,  while  it 
thus  will  drive  the  sheep  of  the  one  fold  more 
closely  together  —  now  alas!  so  widely  separated 
and  scattered  —  will  be  pre-eminently  distinguished 
for  its  development  of  truth.  The  occasion  for  its 
investigation  will  be  pecuharly  favourable.  It  will 
be  a  conflict  for  the  truth.  "  What  is  truth,  what 
is  the  whole  truth  ?"  will  be  the  inquiry  of  every 
lip.  Christians  will  be  placed  in  a  better  position, 
and  be  surrounded  by  more  favourable  circumstau- 


RELATION    TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  209 

ces  for  its  study.     Truth  has  never  so  clearly  and 
powerfully    developed   itself,  —  its  nature   and   its 
energies,— as  in  periods  of  trial  and  of  suffering. 
What  may  be  said  of  the  growth  of  the  believer  \n 
a  personal  knowledge  of  the  truth,  will,  with  equal 
propriety-,  apply  to  the  advancement  of  truth  in  the 
world.     The  time  of  trial  makes  the  truth  more 
precious  to  the  heart,  and  clear  to  the  mind.     The 
affections  entwine  more  closely  around  it  then,  and 
the  judgment  more  distinctly  perceives  its  meaning 
and   its  bearings.     What  believer  has  not  learned 
more  of  his  Bible  in  a  season  of  affliction  than  he 
had  ever  learned  before  ?     "  It  is  good  for  me  that 
I  have  been  afflicted;  that  I  might  learn  thy  statutes:' 
Then  let  the  dark  cloud  lower,  and  the  tempest 
that  will  shake  the  Church  of  Christ  to  its  centre, 
come,  it  will  but  develope  the  nature,  and  accele- 
rate the  advancement  of  the  pure  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus.     Men  of  different  views,  driven  beneath  the 
same  shelter  by  the  common  storm,  finding  them- 
selves   bending   before   the  same   mercy-seat,    and 
addressing    their    petitions    to    the  same  Father 
dermng   their  consolation   from  the  same  source,' 
and  realising  their  oneness  in  the  same  Lord,  all  the 
mists  of  prejudice  and  the  congealings  of  coldness 
now  melted  away,  they  will  read,  and   examine 
and  compare  together;  and  the  happy  result  will 
be,— a    clearer    unfolding    of   the   mind    of   the 
Spirit  in  the  word,  and  a  more  perfect  harmony 
of  judgment  and  of  affection  in  those  who  are  one 
m   the  heart  and  mind  of  God.     Then  will  the 
18* 


210  THE   COMING   OF  THE   LORD   IN   ITS 

truth,  the  divine,  precious  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus, 
spread,  replenishing  this  sorrowful  earth  with 
gladness,  and  girding  this  dark  globe  as  with  a  zone 
of  heavenly  light. 

There  are  two  ^periods  of  awful  solemnity,  which 
will  be  found  utterly  to  extinguish  the  mere  lamp 
of  a  Christian  profession.  Will  you  follow  me, 
reader,  to  the  dying  bed  of  a  false  professor  ?  It  is 
an  awful  place  !  It  is  an  affecting  spectacle  !  No 
hope  of  glory  sheds  its  brightness  around  his  pillow. 
There  is  no  anchor  within  the  veil,  to  which  the  soul 
now  clings  in  its  wrenchings  from  the  body.  N"o 
Divine  voice  whispers,  in  cheering,  soothing  accents, 
"  Fear  not,  for  I  am  with  thee.'  No  hght  is  thrown 
in  upon  the  dark  valley  as  its  gate  opens,  and  the 
spirit  enters.  Coldness  is  on  his  brow,  earth  recedes, 
eternity  nears,  the  vaulted  damps  ascend  and  thicken 
around  the  parting  spirit,  and  the  last  wail  of 
despair  breaks  from  the  quivering  lip,  ''  My  lamp  is 
gone  out!  Withdrawing  from  this  affecting  scene, 
let  us  in  retirement  read  and  ponder,  w^ith  an 
earnestness  and  self-examination  which  we  have 
never  done  before,  the  appropriate  warning  of  Jesus, 
"Not  every  one  that  saith  to  me.  Lord,  Lord,  shall 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  but  he  that  doeth 
the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  Many 
will  say  to  me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not 
prophesied  in  thy  name ;  and  in  th}^  name  have  cast 
out  devils ;  and  in  thy  name  done  mau}^  wonderful 
works  ?  And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never 
knew  you ;  depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity. 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  211 

Therefore  whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine, 
and  doeth  them,  I  will  Hken  him  unto  a  wise  man, 
wliieh   built  Ms   house  upon   a  rock:   and  the   rain 
descended,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew, 
and  beat  upon  that  house,  and  it  fell  not ;  for  it  was 
founded  upon  a  rock.     And  every  one  that  heareth 
these  sayings  of  mine,  and  doeth  them  not,  shall  be 
likened  unto  a  foolish  man,  which  huilt  his  house 
upon  the   sand:   and  the  rain   descended,  and  the 
floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat  upon 
that  house,  and  it  fell ;  and  great  was  the  fall  of  it." 
And  so  will  it  be  when  the  Son  of  Man  cometh. 
This  great  event  will  fix  unchangeably  the  destiny 
of  each  individual  of  the  human  race.   It  will  break 
like  the  loud  artillery  of  heaven  upon  a  slumberino- 
church,  and  a  careless  world.     It  will  find  the  true 
saints  with  "  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their  lamps," 
though  in  an  unwatchful  state.     It  will  come  upon 
the  nominal  professor,  grasping  firmly  his  lamp  of 
profession,    but    utterly    destitute    of    the    oil    of 
grace,  and  in  a  state  of  as  little  expectation  of,  as 
preparedness  for,  the  advent  of  the  Lord.     And  it 
will  overtake  and  surprise  the  ungodly  world,  as  the 
flood  did  in  the  days  of  Noah,  and  the  fire  in  the 
days   of  Lot — "they  were   eating   and   drinking, 
marrying   and  giving  in   marriage,   they   bought, 
they  sold,  they  planted,  they  builded,  until  the  day 
that  'Noah  entered  into  the  ark,  and  until  the  same 
day  that  Lot  went  out  of  Sodom."     "Even  thus 
shall   it  be  in   the  day  when   the  Son  of  Man  is 
revealed."     The  true  saints  will  arouse  from  their 


212  THE   COMING   OF   THE   LORD    IN   ITS 

slumber, — the  spirit  of  slothfalness  and  lethargy 
into  which  they  had  fallen,  —  and,  trimming  their 
lamps  by  a  fresh  exercise  of  faith  in  Jesus,  will  go 
forth  as  the  "children  of  the  light,"  to  welcome 
their  approaching  Lord.  False  professors,  too, 
startled  by  the  cry  which  breaks  upon  the  awful 
stillness  of  midnight,  —  solemn  as  the  archangel's 
trumpet,  —  will  eagerly  feel  for  their  lamps,  —  their 
evidences  of  acceptance  based  upon  an  outward 
profession  of  the  gospel, — when  lo  !  to  their  surprise 
and  consternation,  they  find  themselves  destitute  of 
one  drop  of  oil  with  which  to  feed  the  flickering, 
waning  flame,  and  they  exclaim  in  despair,  "  Our 
lamps  are  going  out!"  And  now  the  intellectual 
light  goes  out,  and  the  moral  light  goes  out,  and  the 
professing  hght  goes  out,  and  the  official  light  goes 
out ;  and  while  they  have  fled  to  human  sources  to 
procure  the  grace  they  needed,  —  their  backs  being 
thus  then  turned  upon  Christ, — the  "Bridegroom 
comes ;  and  they  that  are  readi/  go  in  with  him  to 
the  marriage,  and  the  door  is  shut."  They  return 
with  what  they  suppose  the  needed  evidences,  but 
710W  they  learn — 0  that  they  should  have  learned  it 
too  late! — that  to  have  had  a  professing  name  to 
live  —  to  have  outwardly  put  on  Christ  by  baptism 
— to  have  united  externally  with  the  church  of  God 
— to  have  partaken  of  the  Lord's  Supper — to  have 
promoted  his  truth,  and  to  have  furthered  his  cause 

to  have  preached  his  Gospel,  and  even  to  have 

won  converts  to  the  faith,  will  avail  nothing — alone 
and  apart  from  union  to  Jesus  by  the  Spirit,  obtain- 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL    CHRISTIANITY.  213 

ing  admittance  to  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb, 
"  Afterward  came  also  the  other  virgins,  sayiog, 
Lord,  Lord,  open  to  us.  But  he  answered  and  said, 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  know  you  not."  In  view 
of  such  a  catastrophe,  O  how  poor,  contemptible, 
and  insignificant,  appears  everything,  however 
splendid  in  intellect,  beautiful  in  morals,  or  costly 
in  sacrifice,  save  the  humble  consciousness  of  havins: 
Christ  in  the  heart  the  hope  of  glory ! 

But  there  are  those,  whose  lamps  of  Christian 
profession  will  not  go  out  when  the  Lord  appear- 
eth.  They  are  his  own  chosen,  redeemed,  and 
called  people.  Their  light,  by  reason  of  manifold 
infirmities,  may  often  have  burned  but  dimly 
through  life  ;  but  there  is  vital  religion  in  the  soul 
—  the  golden,  precious  oil  of  grace,  flowing  from 
Jesus  into  their  hearts.  And  this  can  never  be 
extinguished.  Many  were  the  hostile  influences 
against  which  their  weak  grace  had  to  contend; 
many  were  the  trials  of  their  feeble  faith,  but  the 
light  never  quite  went  out.  The  waves  of  sorrow 
threatened  to  extinguish  it ;  the  floods  of  inbred 
evil  threatened  to  extinguish  it ;  the  cold  blasts  of 
adversity  threatened  to  extinguish  it ;  and  the  stum- 
bling of  the  walk,  and  the  inconstancy  of  the 
heart,  and  the  declension  of  the  soul,  often,  for  a 
while,  weakened  and  obscured  it ;  but  there  it  is, 
living,  burning,  and  brightening,  as  inextinguish- 
able and  as  deathless  as  the  source  from  whence  it 
came.  The  grace  of  God  in  the  heart  is  as  imper- 
ishable,  and    the  life  of   God  in  the  soul  is  as 


\ 
214  THE   COMING   OF   THE   LORD   IN  ITS 

immortal,  as  God  himself.  That  light  of  knowledge 
enkindled  in  the  mind,  and  of  love  glowing  in  the 
heart,  and  of  holiness  shining  in  the  life,  will  burn 
in  the  upper  temple  in  increasing  efi'ulgence  and 
glory  through  eternity.  The  divine  light  of  Chris- 
tian profession,  which  holy  grief  for  sin  has 
enkindled,  which  love  to  God  has  enkindled, 
which  the  inbeing  of  the  Holy  Spirit  has  enkin- 
dled, will  outlive  and  outshine  the  sun  in  the  firm- 
ament of  heaven.  That  sun  shall  he  extinguished, 
those  stars  shall  fall,  and  that  moon  shall  be  turned 
into  blood,  but  the  feeblest  spark  of  grace  in  the 
soul  shall  live  for  ever.  The  Lord  watches  his  own 
work  with  sleepless  vigilance.  "When  the  vessel  is 
exhausted,  he  stands  by  and  replenishes  it ;  when 
the  light  burns  dimly,  he  is  near  to  revive  it ;  when 
the  cold  winds  blow  rudely,  and  the  rough  waves 
swell  high,  he  is  riding  upon  those  winds,  and 
walking  upon  those  waves,  to  protect  this  the 
spark  of  his  own  kindling.  The  light  that  is  in 
you,  is  light  flowing  from  Jesus,  the  "  Fountain  of 
light."  And  can  an  infinite  fountain  be  exhausted." 
When  the  Sun  is  extinguished,  then  all  the 
lesser  lights,  deriving  their  faint  effulgence  from 
him,  will  be  extinguished  too,  —  but  not  until  then. 
Who  is  it  that  has  often  fanned  the  smoking  flax  ? 
Even  He  who  will  never  quench  the  faintest  spark 
of  living  light  in  the  soul.  "  Thou  wilt  light  my 
candle."  And  if  the  Lord  hght  it,  what  power 
can  put  it  out  ?  Is  not  his  love  the  sunshine  of  thy 
soul?     Is  he   not  himself  thy  morning  star?    Is 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  215 

it  not  in  his  light  that  you  see  light,  even  the 
"light  of  the  glory  of  God,  in  the  ftice  of  Jesus 
Christ?"  0,  then,  ''Arise  and  shine,  for  thy 
light  is  come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen 
upon  thee ! " 

Of  this  holy  and  encouraging  subject, — the 
imperishable  nature  of  true  grace, —  let  us  take  yet 
another  view.  And  let  it  be  remembered  by  the 
reader,  that  I  am  now  referring  especially  to  the 
weakest  degree  of  grace  ever  found  in  a  gracious 
soul  — ^^a^  grace  can7iot  die.  The  divine  life  of  a 
believer,  from  its  very  necessity,  is  deathless.  The 
life  of  Adam  was  never  so  secure,  even  when  he 
lifted  his  noble  brow  in  spotlessness  to  God.  The 
new  life  is  more  secure  in  a  state  of  imperfection, 
than  his  was  in  a  state  of  innocence.  He  stood  in 
his  own  righteousness,  upheld  by  his  own  power, 
and  yet  he  fell.  But  w^e  are  more  secure,  because 
we  stand  in  the  righteousness,  and  are  kept  by  the 
power,  of  God.  His  life  was  hidden  in  himself; 
our  life  is  hidden  in  Christ,  and  is  as  secure  in 
Christ,  as  Christ's  is  in  God.  It  is  truly  remarked 
by  Charnock,  that  "Adam  had  no  reserve  of  nature 
to  supply  nature  upon  any  defect;"  but  out  of 
Christ's  fulness  we  receive  grace  upon  grace.  How 
much  more  ready  are  we  to  complain  against  this 
small  measure  of  grace,  than  to  praise  God  for  the 
weakest  grace,  and  to  thank  Him  for  an  inexhausti- 
ble source,  on  which  we  may  at  all  times  fall  back ! 
The  believer  ever  has  a  reserve  of  grace.  His 
resources  may  often  be  exhausted,  but  he   has  a 


216  THE    COMING    OF   THE   LORD    IN   ITS 

stock  in  Christ's  hand,  and  which,  for  the  wisest 
end,  is  kept  solely  in  Christ's  hands,  upon  which  he 
is  privileged  at  any  moment  to  draw.  Well  is  it  that 
that  supply  of  grace  is  not  all  in  our  hands,  else  it 
would  soon  be  wasted  ;  and  well  is  it  that  it  is  not 
in  angels'  hands,  else  they  would  soon  be  weary 
with  our  continual  coming.  But  the  covenant  was 
made  with  Christ,  he  being  the  Mediator  as  well  as 
the  Surety ;  and  in  him  it  pleased  the  Father  that 
all  fulness  should  dwell.  Thus,  in  his  hands  the 
Father  has  intrusted  the  keeping  of  his  weakest 
child,  even  thy  soul,  beloved,  though  thou  art  the 
weakest  of  the  weak.  An  infant  as  much  belongs 
to  the  family  as  the  most  matured  member.  Its 
place  in  the  parent's  heart  is  as  strong,  and  its 
claim  upon  its  share  of  the  patrimony  is  as  valid. 
So  is  it  with  the  feeblest  child  of  God. 

And  most  faithfully  does  our  Lord  Jesus  discharge 
his  office.  Is  the  church  a  garden  ?  Jesus  repairs 
early  to  the  vineyard,  to  see  "whether  the  tender 
grapes  appear,  and  the  pomegranates  hud.''  Is  it  a 
flock  ?  Jesus  "feeds  his  flock  like  a  shepherd  :  he 
gathers  the  lamhs  with  his  arm,  and  carries  them  in 
his  bosom."  Can  any  imagery  more  aftectingly  set 
forth  the  tenderness  of  Christ  towards  weak  grace 
—  the  weak  lamb  carried,  not  on  the  shoulders,  not 
in  the  arms,  but  in  the  bosom  of  the  Shepherd  ?  Yes, 
there  is  one  image,  the  most  expressive  and  tender 
in  the  universe  of  imagery  —  a  mother's  love  for  her 
iiifant.  Does  God  compare  His  love  to  this  ? 
Hearken  to  liis  words :  "  Can  a  woman  foro;et  her 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  217 

Slicking  child,  that  she  should  not  have  compassion 
on  the  son  of  her  womb  ?  Yea,  they  may  forget, 
yet  will  I  not  forget  thee."  O  that  you  would,  in 
the  simplicity  of  faith,  press  this  precious  truth  to 
your  trembling,  doubting,  fearful  heart!  ^N'othing 
does  the  Holy  Spirit  seem  to  take  such  pains  in 
comforting  and  strengthening,  as  real  grace  in  its 
greatest  weakness.  Would  he  indulge  our  weak  faith 
and  our  limited  measure  of  grace  ?  0  no  !  But  while 
he  would  have  us  sue  for  the  highest  degrees,  he 
would  5^et  watch  over  the  lowest  degree  of  grace  in 
the  soul.  Remember,  too,  that  the  weakest  grace 
has  a  throne  of  grace  to  supply  it,  and  the  God  of 
grace  to  delight  in  it,  and  the  Mediator  of  grace  to 
influence  it,  and  the  Spirit  of  grace  to  brood  upon 
it.  Though  our  grace  be  weak,  yet  the  grace  of  all 
these  is  sufficient  to  preserve  us.  The  weakest 
grace  in  Christ's  hand  shall  stand,  w^hen  the  strong- 
est nature  without  his  guard  shall  fall.  '  Tis  not 
not  our  hold  of  Christ  so  much  preserves  us,  as 
Christ's  hold  of  us ;  though  the  faith  we  hang  by 
be  a  weak  thread,  yet  Christ  hath  a  strong  hand. 
Had  you  the  grace  of  a  glorified  saint,  you  could 
not  maintain  it  without  his  help ;  and  that  is  suffi- 
cient to  conduct  through  the  greatest  storms  into  the 
safe  harbour.  The  *  preserved  in  Christ,'  is  the 
happy  title  of  those  who  are  "sanctified  by  God  the 
Father." 

But  while  I  speak  thus,  it  is  in  my  heart,  beloved, 
to  urge  you  to  aim  after  more  than  the  glimmering 
light;   in  other  words,  to   seek  larger   degrees  of 
19 


218  THE   COMING   OF   THE   LORD   IN   ITS 

grace.  Let  your  standard  be  the  loftiest,  and  your 
aim  the  highest.  Place  no  limit  to  that  which  God 
has  not  limited.  Never  cease  expecting,  until  He 
ceases  giving.  If  you  are  satisfied  with  your  present 
measure  of  grace,  a  worse  sign  you  could  not  have. 
To  be  content  with  being  stationary  in  the  divine 
life,  places  you  in  a  doubtful  position.  It  is  an 
essential  property  of  grace  that  it  grows  ;  it  is  the 
immortal  seed  of  God,  and  must,  from  its  very 
nature,  germinate.  If  your  faith  does  not  increase, 
your  doubts  will  increase ;  and  if  your  grace  does 
not  strengthen,  your  fears  will  strengthen.  Fill  the 
measure  with  pure  wheat,  as  one  has  said,  and  there 
will  be  no  room  for  chaff.  Aim  after  elevated 
principles  if  you  desire  elevated  practice.  Low 
principles  inevitably  lead  to  low  practice.  Watch 
against  that  which  tends  to  impair  the  vigour  of 
your  grace.  "Watch  against  your  most  easy  besetting 
sins  —  your  greatest  infirmities — your  strongest 
temptations.  Beware  of  your  own  heart  —  beware 
of  self-confidence  —  beware  of  creature  idolatry  — 
beware  of  the  world.  Beware,  too,  of  any  neglect 
of  the  means  of  grace.  ITothing  will  more  tend  to 
keep  your  grace  at  a  low  ebb  than  this.  God  has 
appointed  His  channels  of  conveyance.  They  are 
the  ministry  of  the  word,  and  the  reading  of  the 
word,  prayer  and  praise,  meditation,  ordinances,  and 
Christian  communion,  &c.  Beware  that  you  do  not 
despise  any  one  of  them.  A  neglected  sanctuary — 
a  forsaken  throne  of  grace — an  unread  Bible  —  will 
soon   bring   leanness   into  your  soul.     The  priests 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL    CJIRISTIANITY.  219 

under  the  law  were  to  bring  fresh  fuel  to  the  altar, 
morning  and  evening,  for  the  nourishment  of  the 
holy  fire.  "  The  fire  shall  ever  bo  burning  upon 
the  altar;  it  shall  never  go  out."  It  is  thus  God 
keeps  alive  the  holy  fire  on  the  altar  of  our  hearts 
in  the  use  of  His  own  appointed  means.  lie  has  as 
much  ordained  the  means  of  grace,  as  He  has 
promised  the  grace  of  the  means.  You  will  invari- 
ably find  that  grace  languishes  with  duty.  If  we 
are  listless  in  duty,  we  shall  soon  become  lifeless  in 
duty.  Therefore  let  us  thirst  after  God,  as  the 
hunted  hart  panteth  for  the  water-brook.  Especially 
draw  largely  by  fixith  on  Jesus.  He  is  the  great 
Reservoir  from  whence  all  the  conduits  are  supplied. 
All  means  of  grace  are  just  what  Jesus  makes  them. 
Behold,  then,  the  coming  of  the  Lord  in  its  sol- 
emn relation  to  a  nominal  profession  of  Christianity. 
In  a  land  where  the  institutions  and  the  ordinances 
of  religion  are  so  strictly  and  so  properly  observed ; 
where  religious  training  from  infancy,  and  the  habit 
of  an  early  connexion  with  the  visible  church,  and 
the  consequent  observance  of  the  Lord's  Supper  is 
expected  and  enjoined,  are  such  marked  character- 
istics, would  it  be  overstepping  the  bounds  of  pro- 
priety and  delicacy,  if,  in  view  of  this  solemn  event, 
we  press  upon  the  professing  reader  the  importance 
of  close  self-examination,  and  of  trial  by  the  word 
of  God,  touching  the  great  change,  apart  from 
which,  the  most  splendid  Christian  profession  will 
but  resemble  the  purple  robes  and  the  fine  linen 
with  which  Dives  moved,  in  grandeur  and  in  state, 


220  THE    COMING   OF   THE   LORD   IN   ITS 

to  the  torments  of  the  lost.  Professors  of  rehgion  ! 
Church  communicants  ! — ofiice  bearers  ! — have  3^ou 
the  root  of  the  matter  in  you  ?  Have  you  Christ  in 
you  ?  Are  you  temples  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ?  Are 
you  walking  humbly  with  God  ?  Are  you  born  from 
above  ?  Rest  not  short  of  the  great  change  —  the 
heavenly,  the  divine  birth.  Place  no  reliance  upon 
your  external  relation  to  the  church  of  God.  Be 
not  deceived  by  a  false  semblance  of  conversion. 
You  may  go  far,  as  we  have  shown,  in  a  Christian 
profession,  and  even  may  live  to  see  the  Lord  come 
in  the  air,  and  yet  have  not  one  drop  of  oil  in  your 
vessel  with  your  lamp.  Have  you  sometimes  trem- 
bled under  the  powerful  exhibition  of  the  truth  ?  so 
did  Felix,  and  yet  he  never  truly  repented !  Have 
you  heard  the  Gospel  gladly,  and  under  its  momen- 
tary influence,  have  done  many  things  ?  so  did 
Herod,  and  yet  he  kept  Herodias,  and  beheaded 
John  !  Do  you  show  much  apparent  zeal  for  the 
Lord  !  so  did  Jehu,  but  it  was  zeal  for  himself!  Are 
you  the  associate  and  the  companion  of  good  and 
holy  men  ?  so  was  Demas,  and  yet  he  loved  this 
present  evil  world  !  Have  you  been  united  to  the 
church  upon  a  profession  of  faith  and  by  baptism  ? 
so  was  Simon  3Iagus,  and  yet  he  was  in  the  gall  of 
bitterness  and  in  the  bond  of  iniquity!  Do  you  de- 
sire to  die  the  death  of  the  righteous?  so  did  Balaam^ 
and  yet  he  died  as  the  fool  dieth  !  O  look  well  to 
your  religion  !  Take  nothing  for  granted.  Think 
less  of  burnishing  thy  "lamp,"  than  of  having  a 
large  supply  of  oil,  that  when  the  Lord  sendeth  or 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  221 

cometh,  you  may  not  be  found  in  darkness,  not 
knowing  whither  you  go  !  Without  converting  grace 
in  your  heart,  your  church  relation  is  but  the  union 
of  a  dead  branch  to  a  living  stem ;  and  your  partak- 
ing of  the  Lord's  Supper,  an  "  eating  and  drinking 
of  the  Lord's  body  and  blood,  (as  symbolically  rep- 
resented therein,)  unworthily."  Receive  in  love 
these  faithful  admonitions,  penned  by  one  whose 
only  hope,  as  the  chief  of  sinners,  is  in  the  finished 
w^ork  of  Immanuel,   and  let    them  take  you    to 

PRAYER — to  the  WORD — tO  ChRIST. 

"  The  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth  nigh."  If  the 
apostle,  in  his  day,  could  thus  exhort  the  saints,  how 
much  stronger  reason  have  we  for  believiDg  that 
"the  Lord  is  at  hand!''  Every  movement  in  the 
providential  government  of  God,  indicates  the  near 
approach  of  great  events.  The  signs  of  the  times 
are  significant  and  portentous.  The  abounding  pro- 
fession of  Christianity — the  advancement  of  human 
science — the  increase  of  the  papal  power — the  spirit 
of  despotism^  of  infidelity,  and  of  superstition,  these 
three  master  principles  at  this  moment  expanding 
through  Europe,  and  struggling  each  with  the 
otliers,  and  all  with  the  gospel,  for  supremacy — and 
the  extraordinary  movements  now  going  forward  in 
reference  to  the  return  of  the  Jews  —  are  heralding 
the  approaching  chariot  of  the  Kings  of  kings. 
The  Church  of  God  will  yet  pass  through  severe 
trials — '' many  shall  be  purified,  and  made  white, 
and  tried  ;"  nevertheless  Jesus  lives,  and  Jesus  shall 
reign,  and  the  church  shall  reign  ivith  Jesus.  Let 
19* 


222  THE   COMING    OF   THE   LORD   IN    ITS 

the  thought  of  his  coming  be  an  influential  theme 
of  meditation  and  joy,  of  hope  and  action.  The 
present  is  the  suffering  state  of  the  Church.  It  is 
through  much  tribulation  that  she  is  to  enter  the 
kingdom  prepared  for  her  by  her  coming  Lord.  But, 
amidst  the  sorrows  of  the  pilgrimage,  the  perils  of 
the  desert,  the  conflicts  of  the  field,  the  blasphe- 
mies, the  taunts,  and  the  persecutions  of  the  world, 
the  pangs  of  disease,  and  the  wastings  of  decay,  we 
will  have  our  "conversation  in  heaven,  from  whence 
also  w^e  look  for  the  Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  will  change  our  vile  body,  that  it  may  be 
fashioned  like  unto  his  glorious  bod}^,  according 
to  the  working  whereby  he  is  able  even  to  subdue 
all  things  unto  himself."  He,  "whom  not  having 
seen  we  love,"  will  soon  appear,  and  then  he  will 
chase  away  every  sorrow,  and  dry  up  every  tear, 
and  annihilate  every  corruption,  and  perfect  us  in 
THE  BEAUTIES  OF  HOLINESS.  Then  there  w^ill  be  no 
more  rising  of  inw^ard  corruption,  no  more  exposure 
to  temptation,  no  more  solicitations  of  evil,  and  no 
more  wounding  of  the  bosom  upon  which  we 
recline.  The  heart  will  be  perfectly  in  love ;  and 
the  mind,  developing  its  faculties,  enlarging  its 
knowledge,  and  yielding  up  itself  to  those  "  intel- 
lectual revelations,  to  that  everlasting  sun-light 
of  the  soul,"  which  all  will  enjoy  who  love,  and 
long  for,  Christ's  appearing,  —  will  merge  itself  in 
the  light  and  glory  and  holiness  of  the  Eternal 
Mind.  O  that  the  reign  of  Christ  may  be  first 
by  his  grace  in  our  hearts,  then  we  may  indeed 


RELATION   TO   NOMINAL   CHRISTIANITY.  223 

expect  to  reign  with  him  in  glory  !  The  cross 
below,  is  the  onli/  path  to  the  throne  above.  The 
crucifixion  now,  the  glo7'7/  then.  The  sceptre  in 
our  hearts  here,  the  crown  upon  our  heads  here- 
after. Precious  Jesus !  hasten  thy  coming !  We 
love  thee,  we  serve  thee,  we  long  for  thee,  we  look 
for  thee.     Come,  and  perfect  us  in  thy  likeness ! 

"  Oh  !  loved,  but  not  enough — though  dearer  far, 
Than  self  and  its  most  loved  enjoyments  are 
None  duly  loves  thee,  but  who,  nobly  free 
From  sensual  objects,  finds  his  all  in  thee. 

**  Glorious  Almighty,  First,  and  without  end, 
When  wilt  Thou  melt  the  mountains  and  descend  ? 
AVhen  wilt  Thou  shoot  abroad  thy  conquering  rays, 
And  teach  these  atoms  thou  hast  formed,  thy  praise  ? 

"  My  reason,  all  my  faculties  unite 
To  make  thy  glory  their  supreme  delight; 
Forbid  it,  Fountain  of  my  brightest  days, 
That  I  should  rob  thee,  and  usurp  thy  praise  ? 

"My  soul !  rest  happy  in  thy  low  estate. 
Nor  hope,  nor  wish  to  be  esteemed  or  great ; 
To  take  the  impression  of  the  will  divine, 
Be  that  thy  glory  and  those  riches  thine  ! 

"Confess  him  righteous  in  his  just  decrees, 
Love  ivliat  lie  loves,  and  let  his  pleasure  please  ; 
Die  daily — from  the  touch  of  sin  recede  ; 
Then  thou  hast  crowned  Him,  and  he  reigns  indeed  !^'* 

*  M.  GuioN. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

CHRISTIAN  LOVE,  A  TEST  OF  CHRISTIAN 
CHARACTER. 

**We  know  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life,  because  we  lovo 
the  brethren." — 1  John  iii.  14. 

Surely  it  is  a  question  of  all  others  the  most 
interesting  and  important,  "Am  I,  or  am  I  not,  a 
true  believer  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ?"  We  do 
not  say  that  the  state  of  doubt  and  uncertainty 
from  which  this  inquiry  arises,  necessarily  invali- 
dates the  evidence  of  grace  which  already  exists : 
nor  would  we  have  it  inferred  that  the  question  it- 
self indicates  a  health}^,  vigorous  tone  of  mind. 
But  what  we  affirm  is,  that  where  there  exists  the 
principle  of  life,  and  a  growing  acquaintance  with 
the  plague  of  a  human  heart,  and  a  conscience 
increasingly  tender,  the  question  will  sometimes 
arise — "Am  I  a  living  soul  in  Christ?"  In  enabling 
us  to  meet  and  satisfy  this  inquiry,  how  kind  and 
condescending  is  God,  the  Holy  Ghost!  A  state 
of  uncertainty  as  to  his  personal  salvation,  cannot 
be  regarded  by  the  believer  as  the  most  favourable 
for  the  cultivation  of  personal  holiness.  He, 
indeed,  is  the  most  heavenly-minded,  happy,  and 
useful  child  of  God,  who,  with  the  lowly  confidence 

(224) 


225 

of  the  great  apostle,  can  saj^,  "  I  hnoiv  in  whom  I 
have  believed."     But  we  must  admire  the  love  of 
the  Spirit  in  providing  for  the  necessities  of  the 
weakest  state   of   grace.      If   saints    of   advanced 
stature  in  Christ  can  sympathize  but  little  with  the 
timidit}',  the  fearfulness,  and  the  weakness  of  child- 
ren of  more  dwarfish  proportions,  not  so  the  loving, 
faithful  Spirit  of  God.     He  is  never  above  his  own 
work.      The  smallest  part  is   too  precious  to  his 
heart,  to  allow  of  the  withdrawment  of  his  eye 
from  it  for  a  single  moment.     It  is  not  the  extent 
of  the  territory  which  he  has  subjugated  to  himself 
in  the  soul,  that  most  thrills  his  heart  with  delight 
—this  he  is  sure  to  perfect — but  it  is  his  having  at 
all  eifected   an  entrance,  and   established   himself 
permanently   there.      Tliis   is   the    ground    of  his 
greatest  triumph,  and  the  source    of  his    highest 
joy, —  that   after  all  the  opposition  and  the  diffi- 
culty, he  should  at  last   have   gotten   himself  the 
victory.     Is  it  possible,  then,  that  the  tenderest  bud 
of  grace,  or  the  faintest  glimmering  of  light  in  the 
soul,  can  be  a  matter  of  indifference  to  him  ?     Ah 
no  !     Would  Titian  have  despised  a  painting,  upon 
whose  outline  he  had  stamped  the  impress  of  his 
genius,  because  its  penciUings  were  not  complete  ? 
"Would  Canova  have  destroyed  his  sculpture,  almost 
breathing   with    life,  because    its    chisellings  were 
unfinished  ?     And  will  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  drawing 
the  moral  likeness  of  God  upon  the  soul,  in  model- 
ling the  mind  for  heaven,  slight  this,  his  master- 
piece  of  wisdom   and   of   power,   because    of   its 


226  CHRISTIAN   LOVE,    A    TEST 

present  incompleteness  ?  No  !  The  faintest  out- 
line of  the  divine  image,  the  roughest  shaping  of 
the  divine  nature  in  man,  presents  to  his  eye 
more  beauty,  and  symmetry,  and  finish,  than,  tlie 
finest  pencillings  of  nature,  or  the  most  perfect 
modellings  of  art.  The  universe  of  loveliness  and 
of  wonder  contains  nothing  that  can  compare 
with  it. 

Thus,  rejoicing  in  his  own  w^ork,  he  has  placed 
before  us,  in  the  words  which  we  have  quoted,  an 
evidence  of  Christian  character,  in  the  existence  of 
Christian  love.  We  do  not  say  that  it  is  the  strong- 
est attestation  which  might  be  given ;  nay,  it  may 
be  considered,  by  some,  the  weakest;  and  yet 
multitudes  have  met  death  with  composure  and 
have  gone  to  glory  in  peace,  the  Holy  Spirit  com- 
forting their  hearts  by  tJns  sweet  and  lowly  evidence 
—  love  to  the  brethren.  ''  "VVe  hnoiv  that  w^e  have 
passed  from  death  unto  life,  because  we  love  the 
brethren."  But  before  we  enter  fully  upon  our 
main  subject,  viz..  Christian  love,  evidencing  the 
reality  of  Christian  character — it  may  be  profitable 
first,  to  consider  the  character  itself,  and  then  the 
existence  and  the  operation  of  love  as  attesting  its 
truth. 

It  is  a  state  of  transformation.  The  condition 
from  which  the  renewed  man  passes,  is  that  of 
DEATH.  This  was  his  Adamic,  or  natural  state. 
The  sinner  is  by  law  dead ;  the  curse  is  upon  him, 
and  condemnation  awaits  him.  Nay,  he  is  now 
condemned.     "  He  that  believeth  not,  is  condemned 


OF   CHRISTIAN   CHARACTER.  227 

already.'"  As  in  a  state  of  grace,  heaven  is  com- 
menced below,  so  in  a  state  of  nature,  hell  is  com- 
menced below.  Grace  is  the  beginning  of  glory, 
and  nature  is  the  beginning  of  condemnation.  The 
one  has  in  it  the  element  of  eternal  happiness;  the 
other  has  in  it  the  element  of  eternal  woe.  "  Dead 
in  trespasses  and  in  sins,"  is  the  a\vful  sentence 
written  at  this  moment  upon  your  brow.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  history  of  that  which  is  affecting 
and  awful  that  will  compare  with  it,  but  the  condi- 
tion itself  of  the  finally  lost.  Indeed,  the  two  states 
may  be  regarded  almost  as  identical.  The  sinner 
is  by  law  dead.  He  is  under  the  curse  of  God,  and 
is  shut  up  to  its  condemnation,  awaiting  only  the 
period  of  its  final  and  eternal  infliction.  ISTay,  his 
condemnation  has,  in  a  measure,  already  commenc- 
ed. "  He  that  believeth  not,  is  condemned  already.'' 
Listen  to  it,  ye  unconverted  men  and  women  !  Let 
the  words,  as  they  fall  from  the  lips  of  Him  into 
whose  hands  all  judgment  is  committed,  sink  down 
into  your  ears  like  the  knell  of  death.  "  He  that 
believeth  not  is  condemned  already."  Your  condi- 
tion has  been  tried,  the  verdict  has  been  given,  the 
sentence  has  been  pronounced,  and  nothing  remains 
but  the  —  doom  !  The  mournful  preparation  for 
its  accomplishment  is  made.  But  one  step,  and 
you  have  passed  beyond  the  reach  of  mercy,  into 
the  hands  of  your  tormentors.  Hark !  heard  you 
that  sound  ?  It  has  come  from  the  invisible  world. 
It  is  the  great  bell  of  eternity  tolling  the  death  of 
lost  souls.     Soon  it  will  toll  for  you,  if  angels  do 


228  CHRISTIAN   LOVE,    A   TEST 

not  celebrate  your  heavenly  birth.  O  think  of 
passing  from  the  death  that  is  temporal,  to  the 
death  that  is  eternal  ! — from  the  flames  that  might 
now  be  quenched,  to  the  flames  that  are  unquench- 
able. Kise  and  pray  that  God  may  not  gather 
your  soul  with  sinners,  but  that,  numbered  with 
those  who  shall  have  part  in  the  first  resurrection, 
upon  you  the  second  death  may  have  no  power. 

But  the  believer  in  Jesus  is  one  who  has  "  passed 
from  death  unto  life.''  Having  somewhat  touched 
upon  this  subject  in  the  preceding  pages,  we  will 
only  seize  upon  a  few  of  the  more  prominent  cha- 
racteristics illustrative  of  this  renewed  state.  The 
Spirit  of  God  has  breathed  into  him  the  breath  of 
life,  and  he  has  become  a  living  soul.  But,  if  pos- 
sible, there  is  a  yet  stronger  light  in  which  we  may 
view  this  change.  The  renewed  man  is  a  living 
soul,  in  consequence  of  his  union  with  the  life  of 
Christ.  We  too  little  ti^ace  the  life  which  is  in  us  to 
the  life  which  is  in  Jesus.  The  Spirit  himself  could 
not  be  our  life  apart  from  our  union  to  Christ.  It 
is  not  so  much  the  work  of  the  Spirit  to  give  us  life, 
as  to  quicken  in  us  the  life  of  Christ.  The  Apostle 
thus  briefly  but  emphatically  states  it,  —  "  Christ, 
who  is  our  life."  Hence  we  see  the  relation  and 
the  fitness  of  the  second  Adam  to  the  church  of 
God.  In  consequence  of  our  federal  union  to  the 
first  Adam,  we  became  the  subjects  of  death,  —  he 
being  emphatically  our  death.  And  in  consequence 
of  our  covenant  union  to  the  second  Adam,  we  be- 
come the  subjects  of  life, — he  being  emphatically 


OF    CHRISTfAN   CHARACTER.  229 

"owr  life.''  Hence  it  is  said,  "  The  second  Adam  is 
a  quickening  spirit."  The  headship  of  Christ,  in 
reference  to  the  Hfe  of  his  people,  is  written  as  with 
the  point  of  a  diamond  in  the  following  passages : 
—  "In  him  was  life;"  "The  Son  quickeneth  whom 
he  will;"  "The  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the 
Son  of  God,  and  they  that  hear  shall  live  ;"  "I  am 
the  resurrection  and  the  life :  he  that  believeth  in 
me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live;"  "  He 
that  eateth  me,  even  he  shall  live  by  me;"  "I  am 
the  life."  Now  this  life  that  is  in  Christ  becomes 
the  life  of  the  believer  in  consequence  of  his  union 
with  Christ.  "Ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hidden 
ivitli  Christ  in  God;"  "I  am  crucified  with  Christ, 
nevertheless  I  live ;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in 
me."  And  what  is  the  crowning  act  of  Christ  as 
the  life  of  his  people?  What  but  his  resurrection 
from  the  dead?  "We  are  risen  with  Christ;"  "Ye 
are  also  risen  with  him  ;"  "  That  I  may  know  the 
power  of  his  resurrection."  This  doctrine  of  the 
Lord's  resurrection  is  the  pivot  upon  whicli  the 
w^hole  system  of  Christianity  hinges.  He  is  risen, 
and  in  virtue  of  this  his  people  are  partakers  of  a 
resurrection  life  to  eternal  glory.  It  is  utterly  im- 
possible that  they  can  perish,  for  they  have  already 
the  resurrection  life  in  their  souls.  Their  own 
resurrection  to  everlasting  life  is  pledged,  secured, 
antedated,  in  consequence  of  the  risen  Christ  being  in 
them  the  hope  of  glorj-.  Thus  is  Christ  the 
life  of  his  people.  He  is  the  life  of  their  imr- 
doUy  —  all  their  iniquities  are  put  away  by  his 
20 


230  CHRISTIAN   LOVE,    A   TEST 

blood.  He  is  the  life  of  their  justification;  — 
his  righteousness  gives  them  acceptance  with 
God.  He  is  the  life  of  their  sanctification ;  — 
his  grace  subdues  the  power  of  the  sins,  the  guilt  of 
which  his  blood  removes.  He  is  the  life  of  their 
joys,  of  their  hopes,  of  their  ordinances ;  the  life  of 
everything  that  makes  this  life  sweet,  and  the  life 
to  come  glorious. 

But  what  an  amazing  truth  is  this  !  We  see  into 
what  a  new  and  holy  life  the  believing  sinner  has 
passed.  Quitting  for  ever  the  low  life  of  sense,  he 
now  enters  on  the  exalted  life  w^hich  every  believer 
leads — the  life  of  faith  on  the  Son  of  God.  He  has 
now  learned  to  lean  upon  Jesus,  his  righteousness 
and  his  strength,  his  consolation  and  his  support. 
He  is  happy  in  sorrow,  joyful  in  tribulation,  strong 
in  weakness,  as  by  faith  he  leans  upon  Christ. 
What  a  life,  too,  is  the  life  of  communion  with  God, 
springing  from  his  life  of  oneness  with  Christ !  The 
believer  now  holds  communion  with  essential  life, 
with  essential  holiness,  with  essential  love.  The 
holy  breathing  of  his  soul  is  the  fellowship  of  Christ 
below,  with  the  Father  above.  It  is  the  one  life  in 
heaven  and  on  earth.  What  is  player  to  you,  my 
reader?  Is  it  co?mnunionf  is  it  fellowship  P  Does 
God  meet  you,  and  open  His  heart  to  you  ?  Are 
you  ever  sensible  that  you  have,  as  it  were,  attract- 
ed His  eye,  and  possessed  yourself  of  His  ear  ?  Is 
prayer  the  element  in  winch  your  soul  lives  ?  Do 
you  make  every  circumstance  of  life  an  occasion  of 
prayer  ?     As  soon  as  sorrow  comes,  do  you  take  it 


OF    CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER.  231 

to  the  Lord's  heart  ?  As  soon  as  burdening  care 
comes,  do  you  take  it  to  the  Lord's  arm  ?  As  soon 
as  conscience  is  beclouded,  do  you  take  it  to  the 
Lord's  blood?  As  soon  as  the  inward  corruption 
arises,  do  you  take  it  to  the  Lord's  grace  ?  This, 
beloved,  is  the  life  of  faith.  Mistake  not  the  nature 
of  pra}^.  True  prayer  is  never  more  eloquent  and 
prevailing  than  when  breathed  forth  in  real  desires, 
and  earnest  longings,  and  groans  that  cannot  be 
uttered.  Sighs,  and  words,  and  tears,  flowing  from 
a  lowly,  contrite  heart,  have  a  voice  more  powerful 
and  persuasive  than  the  most  eloquent  diction  that 
ever  clothed  the  lips  of  man.  0  to  be  led  by  the 
Spirit  more  perfectly  into  a  knowledge  of  the  nature 
and  the  power  of  prayer  !  for  this  is  the  grand  evi- 
dence of  our  spiritual  life. 

This  life  of  the  renewed  soul,  springing  from  the 
indwelling  of  Christ  by  the  Spirit,  includes  the 
crucifixion  of  self  in  us.  "I  live,  yet  not  J."  What 
a  depth  of  meaning  is  contained  in  these  words ! 
We  may  not  in  this  life  be  able  fully  to  measure  its 
depth,  but  we  may  in  some  degree  fathom  it.  There 
is  not,  —  indeed  there  cannot  be,  a  more  sure 
evidence  of  the  life  of  Christ  in  the  soul,  than  the 
mortifying  of  that  carnal,  corrupt,  self-boasting  that 
is  within  us.  For  its  utter  annihilation  in  this 
present  time-state,  we  do  not  plead.  This  would  be 
to  look  for  that  which  the  word  of  God  nowhere 
warrants.  But  we  insist  upon  its  mortification ;  we 
plead  for  its  subjection  to  Christ.  Who  has  not 
detected  in  his  heart  its  insidious  working  ?     If  the 


232  cnmsTiAN  love,  a  test 

Lord  lias  given  us  a  little  success  in  our  work,  or 
put  upon  us  a  little  more  honour  than  upon  another, 
or  has  imparted  to  us  a  degree  more  of  gift  or  grace, 
O  what  fools  do  we  often  make  of  ourselves  in  con- 
sequence !   We  profess  to  speak  of  what  he  has  done 
—of  the  progress  of  his  work,— of  the  operation  of 
his  grace,  when,  alas !  what  burning  of  incense  often 
is  there,  to  that  hideous  idol  self!     Thus,  we  offer 
'  strange  lire'  upon  the  altar.    But  the  most  gracious 
soul  is   the  most  self-denying,  self-crucifying,  self- 
annihilating  soul.     "I  live,  yet  not  I.     I  believe, 
and  am  comforted,  —  yet  not  /.     I  pray,  and  am 
answered, — yet  not  I.     I  preach,  and  sinners  are 
converted, — yet  not  I.     I  labour,  and  good  is  done, 
— yet  not  1.   I  fight,  and  overcome, — yet  not  J,  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me.''     Beloved,  the  renewed  life  in 
us  will  be  ever  striving  for  the  mastery  of  self  in  us. 
Self  is  ever  striving  to  take  the  glory  from  Jesus. 
This  is   one  cause  of  the  weakness   of  our  faith. 
"  How  can  ye  believe,''  says  the  Saviour,  "  who  receive 
honour  one  from  another,  and  seek  not  the  honour 
w^hich  cometh  from  God  only?"     "AYe  know  but 
little  of  God,"  remarks  an  eminently  holy  man,  "if 
we  do  not   sicken  when  w^e  hear  our  own  praise. 
And  if  we  have  kept  the  glory  of  God  in  view, 
rather  than  our  own,  remember,  it  is  the  gift  of  God, 
the  work  of  his  Spirit,  which  has  gained  a  victory 
over  self,  through  faith   in  Christ."*     O  that   the 
life  of  Christ  w^ithin  us  may  more  and  more  manifest 
itself  as  a  self-denying,  self-mortifying,  self-annihi- 

*  Ilowels. 


OP   CHRISTIAN   CHARACTER,  233 

lating  life— willing  to  be  fools  for  Christ,  yea,  to  be 
nothing,  that  Christ  may  wear  the  crown,  and  God 
be  all  in  all. 

And  remember  that  there  will  be  a  correspondence 
between  the  life  of  Christ  in  the  soul,  and  the  life 
which  Christ  lived  when  he  tabernacled  in  the  flesh. 
We  have  before  remarked,  that  the  inbeing  of  Christ 
in  the  believer  is  a  kind  of  second  incarnation  of 
the  Son  of  God.  When  Christ  enters  the  heart  of 
a  poor  sinner,  he  once  more  clothes  himself  with  our 
nature.  The  life  which  Christ  lived  in  the  days  of 
his  sojourn  on  earth,  was  a  life  of  sorrow,  of  conflict, 
of  temptation,  of  desertion,  of  want,  and  of  suflTering 
in  every  form.  Does  he  now  live  a  different  life  in 
the  believer  ?  :N'ay ;  he  is  still  tempted,  and  deserted, 
and  in  sorrow,  and  in  want,  and  in  humiliation,  and 
in  suffering  —  in  his  people.  What !  did  you  think 
that  these  fiery  darts  were  levelled  at  you?  Did 
you  suppose  that  it  was  you  who  were  deserted,  that 
it  was  yoic  who  suflTered,  that  it  was  you  who  was 
despised,  that  it  was  you  who  was  trodden  under 
foot  ?  ;N'o,  my  brother,  it  was  Christ  dwelling  in  you. 
All  the  malignity  of  Satan,  and  all  the  power  of 
sin,  and  all  the  contempt  of  the  world,  are  levelled, 
not  against  you,  but  against  the  Lord  dwelling  in 
you.  Were  it  all  death  in  your  soul,  all  darkness, 
and  sinfulness,  and  worldliness,  you  would  be  an 
entire  stranger  to  these  exercises  of  the  renewed 
man.  Behold  the  love  and  condescension  of  Jesus  ! 
that  after  all  that  he  endured  in  his  own  person,  he 
should  again  submit  himself  to  the  same  in  the 
20* 


234  CHRISTIAN     LOVE,    A   TEST 

jDerson  of  his  saints ;  that  he  should  as  it  were, 
return,  and  tread  again  the  path  of  suffering,  and 
of  trial,  and  of  humiliation,  in  the  life  which  each 
believer  lives.  0  how  it  speaks  that  love  which 
surpasseth  knowledge  !  How  completely  is  Christ 
one  with  his  saints !  And  yet,  how  feebly  and 
faintly  do  we  believe  this  truth  !  How  little  do  we 
recognise  Christ  in  all  that  relates  to  us  !  and  yet  he 
is  in  all  things.  H-e  is  in  every  providence  that 
brightens  or  that  darkens  upon  our  path.  "  Christ 
is  all,  and  in  all." 

The  unearthliness  of  this  life  is  a  feature  that  must 
not  be  overlooked.  It  is  a  divine  and  spiritual,  and 
therefore  an  unearthly  life.  Its  principles  are 
unearthly,  its  actings  are  unearthly,  its  aspirations 
are  unearthly,  its  pleasures  are  unearthly,  its  enjoy- 
ments are  unearthly,  its  employments  arc  unearthly, 
its  aims  are  unearthly.  It  mixes  not,  it  cannot  mix, 
with  earth.  Most  true  it  is,  that  that  life  which  the 
believer  hves  is  ^'  in  the  flesh,"  but  it  is  not  of  the 
flesh,  nor  after  the  flesh,  and  cannot  coalesce  luith 
the  flesh.  The  flesh  may  often  deaden,  and  weaken, 
and  becloud,  and  depress,  and  chain  it  down,  but, 
like  the  needle  of  the  compass,  the  moment  it 
obtains  its  freedom,  it  turns  to  God  again.  0  what 
a  heavenly  life  is  this  !  What  a  marvel  that  it  should 
be  found,  like  a  precious  pearl,  in  the  midst  of  so 
much  darkness,  and  pollution,  and  deadness,  and 
earthliness !  Who  but  God  could  maintain  a  life  so 
immortal,  in  the  midst  of  so  much  deadlinesSp  —  a 
life  so  holy,  in  the  midst  of  so  much  impurity,  —  a 


OF    CHRISTIAN   CUARACTER.  235 

life  so  heavenly,  ia  the  midst  of  so  much  earthliiiess  ? 
And  yet  so  it  is. 

But  may  there  be  a  personal  persuasion  of  our 
possession  of  this  divine  life  ?    The  Apostle  answers 
this  inquiry  in  the  affirmative,  when  he  says,  "  We 
know^  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life.'' 
For  it  is  a  thing  of  whose  possession  the  believer 
may  be  assured.     He  can  speak  of  its   possession 
with  holy  boldness,  and   with  humble  confidence. 
The  life  of  God  in  the  soul  authenticates  itself.     It 
brings  with  it  its  own  evidence.     Is  it  possible  tliat 
a  behever  can  be  a  subject  of  the  quickening  grace 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  not  know  it  ?    Possess  union 
with  Christ,  and  not  know  it?  the  pardon  of  sin,  and 
not  know  it?  communion  with  God,  and  not  know 
it?    breathing   after   holiness,    and    not    know    it? 
Impossible  I     The  life  of  God  in  the  soul  evidences 
itself  by  its  actings.     Are  you  sensible  of  your  sin- 
fulness ?  do  you  love  the  atoning  blood  ?  is  Jesus 
precious  to  your  soul  ?  do  you  delight  in  God,  and 
in  retirement  for  communion  with  Him  ?    Then,  for 
your  encouragement  we  remind  you,  that  these  are 
not  the  actings  of  a  soul  lying  in  a  state  of  moral 
death,  nor  are  these  the  productions  of  a  soul  still 
unregenerate.     They  proceed   from  the  indwelling 
life  of  God,  and  are  the  ascendings  of  that  life  to 
God,  the  Fountain  from  whence  it  flows.    Thus  the 
weakest  believer   in   Jesus   may   humbly   explain, 
"This  one  thmg  I  know,  that  whereas  I  was  blind, 
now  I  see."   He  knows  that  he  has  passed  from  death 
unto  life. 


236  CHRISTIAN    LOVE,   A  TEST 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  also  a  witness  to  the  reality  of 
this  great  change.  "The  Spirit  himself  beareth 
witness  with  our  spirit  that  we  are  the  children  of 
God,"  The  mode  of  his  testimony  is  in  character 
with  the  fact  which  he  authenticates.  E"©  voice  is 
heard,  no  vision  is  seen,  nothing  tangible  is  felt,  no 
law  of  our  being  is  suspended ;  but  by  a  silent  and 
concealed,  yet  effectual,  operation,  he  witnesses  to 
the  great  fact  of  our  having  ''passed  from  death 
unto  life."  He  it  is  who  breathes  the  cry  of  ''Abba, 
Father,"  in  the  heart — who  sprinkles  the  reconciUng 
blood  upon  the  conscience  —  who  guides  the  eye  of 
faith  to  the  cross  —  and  who,  by  thus  testifying  of 
the  death  of  Jesus  to  the  soul,  testifies  to  the  love 
of  Jesus  in  the  soul.  From  the  cross  of  Immanuel, 
he  brings  a  Hood  of  heavenly  light,  and  sheds  it 
upon  his  own  regenerating  work,  proving  its  reality, 
and  discovering  its  glories.  Beautiful,  holy,  and 
perfect,  as  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit  in  the  soul,  yet 
not  a  line  is  revealed  until  Jesus  shines  upon  it. 
Then^  how  glorious  does  it  appear ! 

But  have  all  the  saints  of  God  alike  this  clear 
personal  assurance  ?  and  is  its  possession  essential 
to  true  faith  ?  We  are  far  from  asserting  this.  We 
do  indeed  think  that  every  regenerate  soul  must  be 
sensible  of  a  transformation  of  mind,  of  character, 
and  of  habit.  He  must  acknowledge  that  by  the 
grace  of  God  he  is  what  he  once  was  not.  To  what 
can  he  ascribe  this  change  but  to  the  second  birth  ? 
But  even  this  secret  persuasion  may  be  connected 
with  many  harassing  yea?'s  and  distressing  doubts. 


OP  CHRISTIAN   CHARACTER.  237 

The   constant   discovery    of   the    hidden  evil,  the 
perpetual  tendency  to  remove  the  eye  from  Jesus, 
the  dark  and  the  painful  often  experienced  in  the 
dealings  of  God,  will  at  times  prompt  the  believer 
to  question  the  reality  of  his  life.     "  With  all  this," 
he  inquires,  "  can  I  be  a  child  of  God?"     And  yet 
the  most  holy  saints  have  been  the  most  doubting 
and  fearful  saints.     David,  for  example,  who   had 
more  testimonies  of  God's  favour  than  any  man, 
yet,  as  one  says,  he  was  at  a  loss  sometimes  to  spell 
his    evidences.     And    that   holy  man   Rutherford 
remarks,  "  I  have  questioned  whether  or  not  I  ever 
knew   anything   of    Christianity,    save   the    letters 
which  make  up  the  word."     But  doubting  faith  is 
not  doubtful  faith.     If  the  believer  has  not  the  faith 
of  assurance,  he  may  have  the  faith  of  reliance,  and 
that  will  take  him  to  heaven.      All  the  doubts  and 
fears  that  ever  harassed  a  child  of  God  cannot  erase 
his  name  from  the  Lamb's  book  of  life,  nor  take 
him  out  of  the  heart  of  God,  nor  shut  him  out  of 
glory.   "  Unbelief,"  says  Eutherford,  "  may,  perhaps, 
tear  the  copies  of  the  covenant  which  Christ  hath 
given  you ;  but  he  still  keeps  the  original  in  heaven 
with  himself.     Your  doubts  and  fears  are  no  parts 
of  the  covenant;  neither  can  they  change  Christ." 
"The   doubts    and   fears   of   the   elect,"   remarks 
another,  '^  are  overruled  by  almighty  grace  to  their 
present  and  eternal  good ;  as  conducing  to  keep  us 
humble  at  God's  footstool,  to  endear  the  merits  of 
Jesus,  and  to  make  us  feel  our  weakness  and  depend- 
ence, and  to  render  us  watchful  unto  prayer."     Did 


238  CHRISTIAN     LOVE,    A   TEST 

ever  an  unregenerate,  lifeless  soul  entertain  a  doubt 
or  fear  of  its  spiritual  condition  ?  E^ever.  Was  it 
ever  known  anxiously  and  prayerfully  to  question, 
or  to  reason  about  its  eternal  state  ?  I^ever.  Do  I 
seek  to  strengthen  your  doubts  ?  ISTo ;  but  I  wish 
to  strengthen  your  tried  and  doubting  faith.  I  would 
tell  you  for  your  encouragement,  that  the  minutest 
particle  of  grace  hath  eternal  glory  in  it,  even  as 
the  smallest  seed  virtually  contains  all  that  proceeds 
from  it, — the  blade,  the  ear,  and  the  full  corn  in  the 
ear.  Faint  not,  nor  be  discouraged  in  your  trial  of 
faith.  There  is  not  a  sweeter  way  to  heaven  than 
along  the  path  of  free  grace,  paved  with  hard  trials. 
It  was  the  way  which  he  trod  who  was  "full  of 
grace."  Rich  though  he  was  in  grace,  yet  see  how 
deeply  he  was  tried.  Think  not,  then,  that  your 
sore  trials  are  signs  of  a  graceless  state.  0  no ! 
The  most  gracious  saints  have  been  the  most  tried 
saints.  But  rest  not  here.  There  is  still  richer, 
surer  comfort  for  you  —  even  the  fulness  of  grace 
that  is  in  Jesus  —  grace  overflowing,  and  yet  ever 
full.  Disclose  to  him  your  doubts  and  fears.  Tell 
him  you  desire  him  above  all  good.  Plunge  into 
the  sea  of  his  fulness ;  and  he  who  has  created  in 
your  soul  a  thirst  for  grace,  will  assuredly  and 
bountifully  give  you  the  grace  for  which  you  thirst. 
But  there  is  one  test  —  a  gentle,  sweet,  and  holy 
test — by  which  the  most  timid  and  doubting  child 
of  God  may  decide  the  genuineness  of  his  Christian 
character  :  the  evidence  to  which  we  allude  is,  love 
to  the  saints.    "  By  this  we  know  that  we  have  passed 


OF   CHRISTIAN   CHARACTER.  239 

from  death  unto  life,  because  we  love  the  breth- 
ren." The  grace  which  is  here  singled,  is  the 
sweetest  and  the  loveliest  of  all  the  graces.  It  is  the 
product  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  flows  from  the  heart 
of  God,  and  it,  more  than  all  others,  assimilates  the 
heart  to  the  nature  of  God,  for  "  God  is  loveJ* 
Without  love,  what  is  the  actual  value  of  all  intel- 
lectual endowments,  acquisitions  of  knowledge,  un- 
derstanding of  mysteries,  or  even  the  achievements 
of  faith  ?  But  small  indeed.  "  Though  I  speak 
with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of  angels,  and  have 
not  love,  {ayoL'K'r])  I  am  become  as  sounding  brass,  or 
a  tinkling  cymbal.  And  though  I  have  the  gift  of 
prophecy,  and  understand  all  mysteries,  and  all 
knowledge ;  and  though  I  have  all  faith,  so  that  I 
could  remove  mountains,  and  have  not  love,  I  am 
nothing.  And  though  I  bestow  all  my  goods  to 
feed  the  poor^  and  though  I  give  my  body  to  be 
burned,  and  have  not  love,  it  profiteth  me  nothing." 
1  Cor.  xiii.  1-3.  There  is  no  truth  more  distinctly 
littered,  or  more  emphatically  stated  than  this — the 
infinite  superiority  of  love  to  gifts.  And  in  pon- 
dering their  relative  position  and  value,  let  it  be  re- 
membered, that  the  gifts  which  are  here  placed  in 
competition  w^ith  grace,  are  the  highest  spiritual 
gifts.  Thus  does  the  apostle  allude  to  them  :  "  God 
hath  set  some  in  the  Church,  first  apostles,  secondly 
prophets,  thirdly  teachers,  after  that  miracles,  then 
gifts  of  healing."  And  then  follows  his  expressive 
declaration, — "  Though  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of 
men  and  of  angels,  and  have  not  love,  I  am  liecome 


240  CHRISTIAN   LOVE,    A   TEST 

as  sounding  brass,  or  a  tinkling  cymbal."  In  other 
v/ords,  "  Though  I  were  an  apostle,  having  apos- 
tolic gifts ;  or,  though  I  were  a  prophet,  possessed 
of  prophetic  gifts;  or,  though  I  were  an  angel, 
clothed  with  angelic  gifts,  yet,  destitute  of  the  grace 
of  love^  my  religion  were  but  as  an  empty  sound, 
nothing  worth."  Is  there  in  all  this  any  undervalu- 
ing of  the  spiritual  gifts  which  the  great  exalted 
Head  of  the  Church  has  bestowed  upon  his  minis- 
ters ?  Far  from  it.  The  apostle  speaks  of  tlie  way 
of  spiritual  gifts  as  excellent,  but  of  the  way  of  the 
grace  of  love  as  a  ^^more  excellent."  Gifts  may  be 
possessed  separate  from  love  —  but  existing  alone, 
they  cannot  bring  the  soul  to  heaven.  And  love 
may  exist  apart  from  gifts,  but  where  love  is  found, 
even  alone,  there  is  that  sweet,  excellent  grace  that 
will  assuredl}^  conduct  its  possessor  to  glory.  "  Grace 
embellished  with  gifts  is  the  more  beautiful ;  but 
gifts  without  grace,  are  only  a  richer  spoil  for 
Satan." 

And  why  this  superiority  of  the  grace  of  love  ? 
Why  is  it  so  excellent,  so  great  and  so  distinguished  ? 
Because  God's  love  in  the  soul  is  a  part  of  God 
himself — for,  ^'  God  is  love."  It  is,  as  it  were,  a  drop 
of  the  essence  of  God  falling  into  the  heart  of  man. 
"He  that  dwelleth  in  love,  dwelleth  in  God,  and  God 
in  Jiim.^^  This  grace  of  love  is  implanted  in  the 
soul  at  the  period  of  its  generation.  The  new  crea- 
tion is  the  restoration  of  the  soul  to  God,  the  expul- 
sion from  the  heart  of  the  principle  of  enmity,  and 
the  flowinc:  back  of  its  affections  to  their  orio^inal 


OF   CHRISTIAN   CHARACTER.  241 

centre.  "Every  one  that  lovetli  is  born  of  God." 
Is  it  again  asked  wiiy  the  love  of  His  saints  is  so 
costly  in  God's  eye?  Because  it  is  a  small  fraction 
of  the  infinite  love  which  He  bears  towards  them. 
Does  God  delight  himself  in  His  love  to  His  Church? 
Has  He  set  so  high  a  value  upon  it  as  to  give  His 
own  Son  to  die  for  it  ?  Then,  whenever  he  meets 
with  the  smallest  degree  of  that  love,  He  must  es- 
teem it  more  lovely,  more  costly,  and  more  rare, 
than  all  the  most  splendid  gifts  that  ever  adorned 
the  soul.  "We  love  him  because  he  first  loved  us." 
Here,  then,  is  that  grace  in  the  soul  of  man  which 
more  than  all  others  assimilates  him  to  God.  It 
comes  from  God,  and  it  raises  the  soul  to  God,  and 
it  makes  the  soul  like  God.  How  encouradns:,  then, 
to  know  the  value  which  the  Lord  puts  upon  our 
poor  returns  of  love  to  him !  Of  gifts  we  may  have 
none,  and  even  of  love  but  little,  yet  of  that  little, 
who  can  unfold  God's  estimate  of  its  preciousness  ? 
He  looks  upon  it  as  a  little  picture  of  Himself  He 
sees  in  it  a  reflection  —  dim  and  imperfect  indeed — 
of  His  own  image.  And  as  He  gazes  upon  it,  He 
seems  to  say — "Thy  parts,  my  child,  are  humble, 
and  thy  gifts  are  few :  thy  knowledge  is  scant}',  and 
thy  tongue  is  stammering;  thou  canst  not  speak  for 
me,  nor  pray  to  me  in  public,  by  reason  of  the  lit- 
tleness of  thy  attainments  and  the  greatness  of 
thine  infirmity  ;  but  thou  dost  love  me,  my  child,  and 
in  that  love  wdiich  I  behold,  I  see  my  nature,  I  see 
my  heart,  I  see  my  image,  I  see  myself;  and  that  is 
more  precious  to  me  than  all  besides.  Most  costly 
21 


242  CHRISTIAN    LOVE,    A    TEST 

to  Him  also  are  all  your  labours  of  love,  and  obedi- 
ence of  love,  and  sacrifices  of  love,  and  offerings  of 
love,  and  sufferings  of  love.  Yea,  w^hatever  blade, 
or  bud,  or  flower,  or  fruit  grows  upon  the  stalk  of 
love,  it  is  most  lovely,  and  precious,  and  fragrant 
to  God. 

But  there  is  another  point  of  light  which  still 
more  strongly  presents  to  view  the  superior 
excellence  and  preciousness  of  the  grace  of  love. 
We  allude  to  the  manifested  love  of  the  saints  to  one 
another.  The  apostle  presents  this  as  a  true  test  of 
Christian  character.  He  does  not  say,  as  he  in 
truth  might  have  said,  "We  know  that  we  have 
passed  from  death  unto  life,  because  we  love  Grod;'" 
but  placing  the  reality  of  this  wondrous  translation 
upon  a  lower  evidence,  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  the 
inspired  writer,  descends  to  the  weakest  exhibition 
of  the  grace  which  his  own  power  had  wrought, 
when  he  says,  "  We  know  that  we  have  passed 
from  death  unto  life,  because  we  love  the  brethren.'' 
Thus,  so  costly  in  God's  eye  would  appear  this 
heaven-born,  heaven-like  grace,  that  even  the 
faint  and  imperfect  manifestation  of  it  by  one 
saint  to  another,  shall  constitute  a  valid  evidence  of 
his  relation  to  God,  and  of  his  heirship  to  life 
eternal.  Our  blessed  Lord,  w^ho  is  beautifully  said 
to  have  been  an  incarnation  of  love,  places  the 
evidence  of  Christian  discipleship  on  precisely  the 
same  ground.  "By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye 
are  my  disciples,  if  ye  leave  love  one  to  another. "  He 
might  justly  have  concentrated  all  their  affection 


OF   CHRISTIAN   CHARACTER.  243 

upon  himself,  and  thus  have  made  their  sole  and 
supreme  attachment  to  Him  the  only  test  of  their 
discipleship.  But  no !  In  the  exercise  of  that 
boundless  benevolence  which  was  never  happy  but 
as  it  was  planning  and  promoting  the  happiness  of 
others,  he  bids  them  "love  one  another,"  and  con- 
descends to  accept  of  this  as  evidencing  to  the 
world,  their  oneness  and  love  to  himself  We  are 
at  length  conducted  to  the  consideration  of  the  sub- 
ject to  which  this  chapter  more  specifically  invites 
our  attention — Christian  love,  a  test  of  christian 

CHARACTER. 

The  aflection  under  consideration,  let  it  be  re- 
marked, transcends  all  similar  emotions  embraced 
under  the  same  general  term.  There  is  a  natural 
affection,  and  a  human  affection,  and  a  denomina- 
tional affection,  which  often  binds  in  the  sweetest 
and  closest  union  those  who  are  of  the  same  family, 
or  of  the  same  congregation,  or  who  assimilate  in 
mind,  in  temper,  in  taste,  or  in  circumstance.  But 
the  aflection  of  which  we  now  speak,  is  of  a  higher 
order  than  this.  ~We  can  find  no  parallel  to  it,  not 
even  in  the  pure,  benevolent  bosoms  of  angels, 
until,  passing  through  the  ranks  of  all  created 
intelligences,  we  rise  to  God  Himself  There,  and 
there  alone,  we  meet  the  counterpart  of  Christian 
love.  Believer,  the  love  for  which  we  plead  is  love 
to  the  brethren  —  love  to  them  as  brethren.  The 
church  of  God  is  one  family,  of  which  Christ  is  the 
Elder  Brother,  and  "  all  are  members  one  of  an- 
other."   It  is  bound  by  a  moral  tie  the  most  spiri- 


244 

tual,  it  bears  a  family  likeness  the  most  perfect,  and 
it  has  a  common  interest  in  one  hope,  the  most 
sublime.  No  clime,  nor  colour,  nor  sect,  affects 
the  relationship.  Meet  you  one  from  the  opposite 
hemisphere  of  the  globe,  having  the  image  of 
Christ,  manifesting  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit;  who  in 
his  walk  and  conversation  is  aiming  to  cultivate 
the  heavenly  dispositions  and  holy  habits  of  the 
Gospel,  and  who  is  identifying  himself  wath  the 
cause  of  God  and  of  truth,  and  you  meet  with  a 
member  of  the  one  family,  a  brother  in  the  Lord, 
one  who  calls  your  Father  his  Father,  your  Lord 
his  Lord,  and  one,  too,  who  has  a  higher  claim 
upon  your  aflection  and  your  sympathy  than  the 
closest  and  the  tenderest  natural  relation  that  life 
can  command. 

But  it  is  proper  that  we  explain  more  explicitly, 
in  what  the  true  unity  of  the  church  of  God 
consists.  The  words  of  her  Great  Head  shall  be 
our  sole  authority  and  guide.  "  That  they  all  may 
be  one ;  as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee, 
that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us."  We  commence 
with  a  declaration  of  a  great  truth,  that  the  unity 
of  the  church  of  God,  as  set  forth  in  this  remark- 
able passage,  is,  her  unity  in  the  Triune  God.  Her 
unity  in  herself  is  the  effect  of  a  cause.  She  is  one 
bodily,  because  she  is  spiritually  and  essentially  one 
in  Jehovah.  The  words,  "■  One  in  us,"  convey  the 
strongest  idea,  and  afford  the  clearest  evidence  of 
her  essential  and  individual  unit}^  of  any  that 
exists.     AVe  commence  with  God  t\\e  Father  —  she 


OP  CHRISTIAN   CHARACTER.  245 

is  one  in  Him.  The  apostle  clearly  states  this  in 
the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians.  "  One  God  and  Father 
of  all,  who  is  above  all,  and  through  all,  and  in  you 
alV  All  who?  —  the  one  cliurch  of  God.  One 
covenant  God  and  Father  unites  the  one  family  in 
heaven  and  in  earth.  They  are  one  in  His  choice, 
one  in  His  purpose,  one  in  His  covenant,  one  in 
His  heart.  The  same  will  chose  them —  the  same 
affection  loved  them — the  same  decree  predestinated 
them  ;  the}^  are  one  in  Him.  Blessed  truth !  One 
God  and  Father."  Behold  them  clusterino:  tosrether 
around  the  mercy  seat  —  they  come  from  various 
parts  of  the  world,  they  speak  different  languages, 
they  express  opposite  feelings,  they  unfold  various 
wants  and  sorrows — yet  listen!  they  all  address 
Him  as,  "Our  Father.''  Every  heart  bows  in  love 
to  Him  —  every  heart  is  fixed  in  faith  upon  Him, 
and  every  tongue  breathes  the  lofty,  and  endearing, 
and  holy  name  of,  "Abba,  Father."  There,  in 
the  glowing  light  amidst  which  the  throne  of  mercy 
stands,  all  sectarian  feeling  dies,  all  denominational 
distinction  is  lost,  and  Christians  of  every  name 
meet,  and  embrace,  and  love  as  brethren.  Holy 
thought !  One  God  loves  all  and  protects  all ;  one 
Father  pities  all,  supphes  all,  bears  with  all,  and, 
with  an  impartial  affection,  binds  all  together  and 
alike  in  his  heart. 

The  church  is  also  one  in  the  Son,  —  "  There  is 
one  Lord."     The  Lord  Jesus  is  the  one  Head,  as  he 
is  the  one  Foundation  of  the  Church.     All  believ- 
ers are  chosen  in  Christ,  blessed  in  Christ,  saved  in 
21  * 


246  CHRISTIAN    LOVE,    A    TKST 

Christ,  preserved  in  Christ,  and  in  Christ  will  be 
glorified.  The  work  of  Christ  is  the  one  resting- 
place  of  their  souls.  They  rely  for  pardon  upon  the 
same  blood,  for  acceptance  upon  the  same  right- 
eousness, and  for  sanctification  upon  the  same 
grace.  One  in  Christ,  all  other  differences  and 
distinctions  are  merged  and  forgotten.  '•^ There  is 
neither  Jew  nor  Greek ;  there  is  neither  bond  nor 
free  ;  there  is  neither  male  nor  female,  for  ye  are 
ALL  ONE  IN  Christ  Jesus."  Blessed  truth  !  The 
"righteousness  of  God,  which  is  unto  all  and  upon 
all  them  that  believe,"  imparts  the  same  complete- 
ness to  all  believers  in  Christ.  Upon  the  breast- 
plate of  the  great  High  Priest,  now  within  the  veil, 
every  name  is  alike  written — not  a  sectarian  appel- 
lation dims  the  lustre  of  the  ''  Urim  and  the  Thum- 
mim  in  whose  glowing  light  the  names  of  all  the  saints 
are  alike  enshrined.  What  a  uniting  truth  is  this  ! 
Jesus  is  the  one  Head  of  life,  light,  and  love,  to  all 
his  saints.  He  carries  the  transgression  of  all —  he 
bore  the  curse  of  all  —  he  endured  the  hell  of  all — 
he  pardons  the  sin  of  all  —  he  supplies  the  need  of 
all — he  soothes  the  sorrows  of  all — and  he  lives  and 
intercedes  for  all.  To  him  all  alike  repair, — it  is 
true,  w^ith  different  degrees  of  knowledge  and  of 
faith,  and  from  different  points;  yet  to  Jesus, 
as  to  one  Saviour,  one  Brother,  one  Lord,  they  all 
alike  come.  Oh !  what  a  cementing  principle  is 
this!  The  body  of  Christ  —  the  purchase  of  the 
same  blood,  loved  with  the  same  affection,  and  in 
heaven    represented  by  the   same  Advocate,   and 


OF    CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER.  247 

soon,  O  how  soon,  to  be  "glorified  together  with 
him!"  What  love,  then,  ought  I  to  bear  towards 
him  whom  Jesus  has  so  loved !  How  can  I  feel 
coldly  to,  or  look  unkindly  at,  or  speak  uncharitably 
of,  one  whom  Jesus  has  redeemed  with  the  same 
precious  blood,  and  whom  he  carries  each  moment 
in  the  same  loving  heart. 

The  Church  of  God,  too,  is  equally  07ie  in  the 
Holy  Spirit.  "  By  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptized 
into  one  body,  whether  we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles, 
whether  we  be  bond  or  free;  and  have  been  all 
made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit."  With  what  in- 
creasing glory  does  this  great  truth  unfold  itself! 
We  seem  to  be  brought  to  the  climax  of  the 
argument  here.  One  Spirit  regenerating  all, 
fashioning  all,  teaching  all,  sealing  all,  comforting 
all,  and  dwelling  in  all.  Degrees  of  grace,  and 
"diversities  of  gifts"  there  are,  "but  the  same 
Spirit.''  That  same  Spirit  making  all  believers 
partakers  of  the  same  Divine  nature,  and  then 
taking  up  his  abode  in  each,' must  necessarily 
assimilate  them  in  evcr}^  essential  quality,  and 
feature,  and  attribute  of  the  Christian  character. 
Thus  the  unity  of  the  Church  is  an  essential  and  a 
hidden  unit3\  With  all  the  differences  of  opinion 
and  the  varieties  of  ceremonial,  and  the  mul- 
tiplicity of  sects  into  which  she  is  broken  and 
divided,  and  which  tend  greatly  to  impair  her 
strength,  and  shade  her  beauty,  she  is  yet  essentially 
and  indivisibly  one  —  her  unity  consisting,  not  in 
a  uniformity  of  judgment,  but,  better  far  than  this, 


248  CHRISTIAN     LOVE,    A   TEST 

in  the  "unity  of  the  Spirit.'"  Thus,  no  individual 
believer  can  with  truth  say,  that  he  possesses  the 
Spirit  excUisively,  boasting  himself  of  what  other 
saints  have  not ;  nor  can  any  one  section  of  the 
Christian  Church  lay  claim  to  its  being  the  only 
true  Church,  and  that  salvation  is  found  only 
within  its  pale.  These  lofty  pretensions,  these 
exclusive  claims,  this  vain-glory  and  unchari- 
tableness,  are  all  demolished  by  one  lightning 
touch  of  truth,  even  by  that  blessed  declaration, 
"  For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into  one 

BODY." 

Behold,  then,  the  threefold  cord  which  unites  the 
family  of  God.  The  ever  blessed  and  glorious 
Trinity  dwelleth  in  the  Church,  and  the  Church 
dwelleth  in  the  blessed  Trinity.  Who  can  divide 
this  body  from  itself,  or  separate  it  from  God? 
Having  thus  endeavoured  to  show  in  what  the 
unity  of  the  Church  of  God  really  consists,  we 
proceed  to  the  subject  more  especially  before  us  — 
the  manifestation  of  this  unity  by  believers,  and 
the  evidence  which  it  affords,  and  the  consequent 
assurance  which  it  imparts,  of  their  personal 
relationship  to  God.  "  We  know  that  w^e  have 
passed  from  death  unto  life,  because  we  love  the 
brethren.'' 

The  feeling  here  referred  to  is  a  love  to  the 
saints,  as  saints.  Whatever  natural  infirmities  we 
may  discover  in  them,  whatever  different  shades  of 
opinion  they  may  hold  from  us,  and  to  whatever 
branch  of  the  Christian  Church  they  may  belong, 


OF   CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER  2-19 

yet  the  feeling  which  is  to  establish  our  own  divine 
relationship,  is  a  love  to  them  as  brethren.  Irre- 
spective of  all  dissonance  of  creed,  of  denomination, 
of  gifts,  of  attainment,  of  rank,  of  wealth,  of 
nation, — when  we  meet  in  a  Christian  professor  the 
image  of  Christ,  the  family-likeness,  our  love  will 
prompt  us  immediately  to  recognise  that  individual 
as  a  behever  in  Jesus,  and  to  acknowledge  him  as 
a  brother  in  the  Lord.  And  what  are  the  grounds 
of  my  aftection  ?  I  may  esteem  his  character,  and 
prize  his  gifts, —  may  admire  his  talents,  and  feel 
there  is  an  assimilation  of  disposition,  of  taste,  and 
of  judgment, — but  my  Christian  love  springs  from 
an  infinitely  higher  and  holier  source.  I  love  him 
because  his  Father  is  in  him,  and  because  the  Son 
is  in  him,  and  because  the  Holy  Spirit  is  in  him.  I 
love  him  because  he  is  an  adopted  child  of  the 
same  family,  a  member  of  Christ,  and  the  same 
body,  and  a  temple  of  the  same  Holy  Spirit.  I  love 
him  that  is  begotten,  because  I  love  him  that  begat. 
It  is  Christ  in  one  believer,  going  out  after  himself 
in  another  believer.  It  is  the  Holy  Spirit  in  one 
temple,  holding  fellowship  with  himself  in  another 
temple.  And  from  hence  it  is  that  we  gather  the 
evidence  of  our  having  "  passed  from  death  unto 
life."  "  He  that  loveth  him  that  begat,  loveth  him 
also  that  is  begotten."  Loving  the  Divine  Original, 
w^e  love  the  human  copy,  however  imperfect  the 
resemblance.  The  Spirit  of  God  dwelling  in  the 
regenerate  soul,  yearns  after  the  image  of  Jesus, 
wherever  it  is  found.     It  pauses  not  to  inquire,  to 


250  CHRISTIAN     LOVE,   A   TEST 

what  branch  of  the  Christian  Church  the  individual 
resembhng  him  belongs  ;  that  with  which  it  has  to 
do  is  the  resemblance  itself.     ]^ow,  if  we  discover, 
this  going  out  of  the  heart  in  sweet,  and  holy,  and 
prayerful  affection  towards  every  believer  in  Christ, 
—  be  his  denominational  name  what  it  may,  the 
most  to  those  who  most  bear  the  Saviour's  image, 
then  have  we  the  Spirit  of  Christ  dwelling  in  us. 
A  surer  evidence  we  cannot  have.     There  is  the 
affection  which  surmounts  all  the  separating  walls 
of  partition  in  the  Church,  and  in  spite  of  sects, 
and  parties,  and  creeds,  demonstrates  its  own  divine 
nature  and  heavenly  birth,  by  its  blending  with  the 
same  affection  glowing  in   the  bosom  of  another. 
And  where  this  love  to  the  brethren  exists  not  at 
all,  in  any  Christian  professor,  we  ask  that  individ- 
ual, with  all  the  tenderness  of  affection  consistent 
with  stern  faithfulness,  where  is  the   evidence  of 
your  union  with  the  body  of  Christ  ?     You  have 
turned  away  with  contractedness  of  heart,  and  with 
frigidity  of  manner,   if   not   with  secret   disdain, 
from    one   whom    God    loves,   whom    Christ    has 
redeemed,  and  in  whom  the  Holy  Ghost   dwells, 
because  he  belonged  not  to  your  sect.     Yea,  you 
have  turned  away  with  coolness  and  suspicion  from 
Christ  himself?     How  canyon  love  the  Father  and 
hate  the  child  ?     What  affection  have  you  for  the 
Elder   Brother,  while   you    despise   the   younger? 
And  if  you  are  a  living  branch  of  the  same  Vine, 
can   you,   while    cherishing    those   feelings   which 
exclude  from  your  affection,  from  your  sympathies, 


OF   CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER.  251 

and  from  your  fellowship,  other  Christians,  more 
deeply  wound  Jesus,  or  more  effectually  grieve 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  hy  whom  they  are  "  sealed 
unto  the  day  of  redemption  ?"  Perhaps,  my 
brother,  you  have  long  walked  in  darkness  and 
uncertainty  as  to  the  fact  of  your  own  personal 
adoption  into  the  family  of  God.  Anxious  fear  and 
distressing  doubt  have  taken  the  place  of  a  holy 
assurance  and  a  peaceful  persuasion  that  you  are  one 
of  the  Lord's  people.  In  endeavouring  to  trace 
this  painful  state  of  mind  to  its  cause,  did  it  never 
occur  to  you,  that  your  lack  of  enlargement  of 
heart  towards  all  saints,  especially  towards  those  of 
other  branches  of  the  same  family,  has,  in  all  pro- 
bability, so  grieved  the  Spirit  of  adoption,  that  he 
has  withholden  from  your  own  soul  that  clear 
testimony,  that  direct  witness  by  which  your  interest 
in  the  covenant  love  of  God,  and  your  union  with 
Christ,  would  have  been  clearly  made  known  to  you  ? 
You  have  grieved  that  same  Spirit  in  your  brother, 
who  dwelleth  in  you,  and  upon  whom  you  are  so 
dependent  for  all  your  sweet  consolation  and  holy 
desires  ;  and  he  has  suspended  the  light,  and  peace, 
and  joy  of  your  own  soul. 

But  here  is  a  test  of  relationship  to  the  family  of 
God  which  never  fails.  "We  hnoiv  that  we  have 
passed  from  death  unto  life,  because  we  love  the 
brethren."  From  this,  the  weakest  believer  may 
extract  the  greatest  consolation.  Other  evidences, 
beloved,  may  be  beclouded.  Divine  knowledge 
may  be  deficient,  and  Christian  experience  may  be 


252  CHRISTIAN   LOVE,   A  TEST 

limited  and  the  question,  "Am  I  a  child  of  God?'* 
may  long  have  been  one  of  painful  doubt:  but  here 
is  an  evidence  which  cannot  deceive.  You  may 
doubt  your  love  to  God,  but  your  love  to  His 
people,  as  such,  proves  the  existence  and  the  reality 
of  your  love  to  Him.  Your  attachment  to  them, 
because  they  are  holy,  is  an  evidence  of  your  own 
holiness,  which  no  power  can  invalidate  or  set  aside. 
Since  the  Holy  Spirit  has  constituted  it  as  evidence, 
and  since  God  admits  it  as  such,  we  press  its 
comfort,  with  all  the  energy  which  we  possess,  upon 
the  heart  of  the  doubting,  trembling  child  of  God. 
You  may  often  have  questioned  the  reality  of  your 
love  to  God,  scarcely  daring  to  claim  an  affection  so 
great  as  this.  Your  attachment  to  Jesus,  so 
inconstant,  so  wavering  and  so  cold,  may  often  have 
raised  the  anxious  fear  and  the  perplexing  doubt. 
But  your  love  to  the  people  of  God,  has  been  like  a 
sheet-anchor  to  your  soul.  This  you  have  not 
questioned,  and  you  could  not  doubt.  You  have 
loved  them  because  they  were  the  people  of  God ; 
you  have  felt  an  attachment  to  them  because  they 
were  the  disciples  of  Christ.  What  can  this  prove 
but  your  love  to  God,  your  affection  to  Jesus,  and 
your  own  participation  in  the  same  Divine  nature? 
It  were  a  thing  impossible  for  you  to  love  that 
which  is  holy  without  a  corresponding  principle  of 
holiness  in  yourself.  Speaking  of  the  enmity  of 
the  ungodly  against  his  people,  our  Lord  employs 
this  language:  "If  ye  were  of  the  w^orld,  the 
world  would  love  its  own  ;  but  because  ye  are  not 


OF    CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER.  253 

of  the  world,  but  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the 

world,  therefore  the  world  hateth  you."     IsTow,  if 

there  is  the  opposite  feeling  to  this,  glowing  in  your 

hearts,  be  sure  that,  as  the  hatred  of  the  world  to 

the  saints  proves  that  it  loves  onhj  its  otvn,  so  3'our 

love  to  the  saints  places  the  fact  of  your  union  with 

them   beyond  all  doubt.     Try  your  heart  beloved, 

by  this  test.     Do  you  not  love  the  people  of  God 

because  they  are  His  people  ?    Is  not  Christ's  image 

in  them,  that  upon  which  you  so  delight  to  gaze, 

and,  gazing  upon  which,  often  enkindles  your  soul 

with  love  to  Christ  himself?     And  do  you  not  love 

to  cull  the  choicest  flowers  of  grace  in  the  Lord's 

garden, — growing  in  what  bed  they  may — as  those 

in  whom  your  soul  has  the  greatest  delight  —  their 

difterent  tints,  their   varied  beauties   and  odours, 

rather  increasing,  than  diminishing,  the  pleasure 

which  they  afford  you  ?     Then,  let  every  Christian 

professor  test  his  religion  by  this  grace.     Let  him 

who  has  been  wont  to  retire  within  his  own  narrow 

enclosure  ask  himself  the  question,  "If  I  love  not 

my  brother  whom  I  have  seen,  how  can  I  love  God 

whom  I  have  not  seen  ?" 

Let  us  now  briefly  trace  some  of  the  operations 

of   this  heaven-born  grace    of   Christian   love,  by 

which  its  real  existence  in   our  hearts  is  proved. 

We  have  endeavoured  to  show,  that  it  recognises  as 

brethren,  all  w^ho  are  partakers  of  like  precious  faith 

with   us,  who   hold    Christ   the   head,    who    walk 

according  to  the  Gospel  of   Christ,   and  who   are 

labouring  and  seeking  for  the  coming  of  his  king- 
00 


254  CHRISTIAN    LOVE,    A   TEST 

dom.     "VVe  will  now  proceed  to  portray  some  of  the 
effects  of  brotherly  love. 

It  tenderly  sympathises  with  all  the  suffering 
believers.  Here  is  the  evidence  of  our  own  mem- 
bership with  the  family  of  God.  "  If  one  member 
suffer,  all  the  members  suffer  with  it."  And  it  is 
in  this  exercise  of  Christian  sympathy  that  "  the 
members  have  the  same  care  one  for  another.'' 
The  Church  of  God  is  a  suffering  Church.  All  the 
members  are,  more  or  less,  and'  variously,  tried. 
Many  are  the  burdens  of  the  saints.  It  would  be 
impossible,  we  think,  to  find  one,  whose  lip  has  not 
touched  the  cup  of  sorrow,  whose  spirit  has  not 
felt  the  pressure  of  trouble.  Some  walk  in  doubt 
and  darkness,  —  some  are  particularly  setup  as  a 
mark  for  Satan,  —  some  suffer  from  a  nervous  tem- 
perament, discolouring  every  bright  and  beautiful 
picture  of  life, —  some  are  the  subjects  of  personal 
affliction,  pining  sickness  excluding  them  from  all 
participation  in  the  songs  of  Zion  and  the  solemn 
assemblies  of  the  saints,  —  some  are  bereaved, 
sorrowing,  like  Rachel  for  her  children,  or  mourn- 
ing, like  the  sisters  of  Bethany,  for  their  brother. 
Some  are  suffering  from  narrow^ed  and  exhausted 
resources;  and  there  may  be  not  a  few,  suffering 
even  from  actual  want  itself.  Ah  !  how  many  will 
say,  "You  have  touched  upon  every  sorrow  but 
mine'' — so  extensive  is  the  field  of  Christian 
sympathy  !  But  what  scope  for  the  \^\aj  of  those 
heaven-born  affections  begotten  in  the  heart  of  each 
true  believer  !     "A  new  commandment  give  I  unto 


OF    CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER.  255 

3'ou,"  says  Christ,  "  that  ye  love  one  another."  And 
how  is  this  commandment  to  be  obeyed  ?  The 
apostle  answers,  "Bear  ye  one  another's  burthen, 
and  so  fulfil  the  laio  of  Christ."  Therefore  the 
bearing  of  one  another's  burthens  is  a  necessary 
effect  and  proper  exercise  of  this  holy  love.  It 
will  delight  to  recognise  the  suffering  Saviour  in  his 
suffering  members.  And  it  will  go  and  lift  the 
pressure  from  the  spirit,  and  chase  the  sorrow  from 
the  heart,  and  dry  the  tear  from  the  eye,  and  sup- 
ply the  pressing  need.  And  if  it  cannot  accomplish 
this,  it  will  take  its  place  by  the  side  of  the  suf- 
ferer, sharing  the  sorrow  and  the  want  it  has  no 
power  to  comfort  or  remove.  Is  this  law  of  Christ 
— the  law  of  love — thus  exhibited  in  you  ? 

"  Do  you  love  Christ? — I  ask  not  if  you  feel 
The  warm  excitement  of  that  party  zeal 
Which  follows  on,  while  others  lead  the  way, 
And  make  his  cause  the  fashion  of  the  day : 
But  do  you  love  him  when  his  garh  is  mean ; 
Nor  shrink  to  let  your  fellowship  be  seen  ? 
Do  you  love  Jesus,  blind,  and  halt,  and  maimed  ? 
In  prison  succour  him  ;  —  nor  feel  ashamed 
To  own  him,  though  his  injured  name  may  be 
A  mark  for  some  dark  slander's  obloquy? 
Do  you  love  Jesus,  in  the  orphan's  claim, 
And  bid  the  widow  welcome  in  his  name  ? 
Say  not,  '  When  saw  we  him  ?  '  —  Each  member  dear, 
Poor  and  afflicted,  wears  his  image  here ; 
And  if  unvalued  or  unknown  by  thee. 
Where  can  thy  union  with  the  Bochjhtt 
And  if  thou  thus  art  to  the  body  dead, 
Where  is  thy  life  in  Christ  the  living  Head  ? 


256  CHRISTIAN    LOVE,    A   TEST 

And  if  dissevered  from  the  living  Vine, 

How  canst  thou  dream  that  thou  hast  life  divine  ! 

"  Sweet  is  the  union  true  believers  feel : 
Into  one  Spirit  they  have  drunk;  —  the  seal 
Of  God  is  on  their  hearts,  —  and  thus  they  see 
In  each  the  features  of  one  family  ! 
If  one  is  suffering,  —  all  the  rest  are  sad  ; 
If  but  the  least  is  honored,  —  all  are  glad. 
The  grace  of  Jesus,  which  they  all  partake, 
Flows  out  in  mutual  kindness  for  his  sake  ; 
Here  he  has  left  them  for  a  while  to  wait. 
And  represent  7dm  in  their  suffering  state  ; 
While  he,  though  glorified,  as  yet  alone, 
Bears  the  whole  church  before  the  Father's  throne,'^ 

In  the  exercise  of  brotherly  love,  there  will  also 
be  a  tender  forbearance  with  all  wJio  differ  from  us  in 
Judgment.  The  exercise  of  private  judgmeot  is  the 
natural  and  inalienable  right  of  every  individual. 
Sanctified  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  it  becomes  a  pre- 
cious privilege  of  the  believer.  He  prizes  it  more 
than  riches,  claims  it  as  one  of  the  immunities  of 
his  heavenly  citizenship,  and  will  surrender  it  only 
w^ith  life  itself  Christian  love  will  avoid  infringing, 
in  the  least  degree,  upon  this  sacred  right.  I  am 
bound,  by  the  law  of  love,  to  concede  to  my  bro- 
ther, to  its  fullest  extent,  that  which  I  claim  for 
myself.  I  am,  moreover,  bound  to  believe  him  con- 
scientious and  honest  in  the  views  which  he  holds, 
and  that  he  maintains  them  in  a  reverence  for  the 
word,  and  in  the  exercise  of  the  fear  of  God.  He 
does  not  see  eye  to  e^^e  with  me  in  every  point  of 
"truth,  —  our  views  of  church  government,  of  ordi- 
nances, and  of  some  of  the  doctrines,  are  not  alike. 


OF    CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER  257 

And  yet,  discerning  a  perfect  agreement  as  to  tlie 
one  great   and   only  way  of  salvation  ;•  and,    still 
more,  marking  in  him  much  of  the  lowly,  loving 
spirit  of  his  Master,  and  an  earnest  desire,  in  simpli- 
city and  godly  sincerity,  to  serve  him,  how  can  I 
cherish  or  manifest  towards  him  any  other  than  a 
feeling  of  brotherly  love?     God   loves   him,  God 
bears  with  him,  and  Christ  may  see  in  him,  despite 
of  a  creed  less  accurately  balanced  with  the  word 
of  truth  than  mine,  a  walk  more  in  harmony  with 
the   holy,  self-denying,  God-glorifying  precepts   of 
that  truth.   With  an  orthodoxy  less  perfect,  there  may 
be  a  life  more  holy.     With  less  illumination  in  the 
judgment,  there  may  be  more  grace  in  the  heart. 
How   charitable   in   my   interpretation,  then,  how 
loving  in  my  spirit,  how  kind  and  gentle  in  my 
manner,  should  I  be  towards  him !     How  jealous, 
too,  ought  I  to  be  of  that  independence  of  mind,  in 
the  exercise  of  which  he  may,  notwithstanding,  have 
arrived  at  conclusions  opposite  to  my  own  !     Che- 
rishing these  feelings,  Christians  who  differ  in  judg- 
ment, will  be  placed  in  a  more  favourable  position 
for  the  understanding  of  one  another's  views,  and 
for  the  united  examination  of  the  word  of  God.   Di- 
versity of  judgment,  through  the  infirmity  of  our 
fallen  nature,  is  apt  to  beget  alienation  of  feeling; 
and,  consequently,  the  development  of  truth  is  hin- 
dered.    But  where  harmony  of  affection  is  culti- 
vated, there  will  be  a  greater  probability  of  arriving  at 
more  perfect  agreement  in  sentiment,  thus  walking 
in  accordance  with  the  Apostle's  rule,  —  "  I  beseech 
22* 


258  CHRISTIAN    LOVE,    A    TEST 

you,  brethren,  by  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
that  ye  all  speak  the  same  thing,  and  that  there  be 
no  divisions  among  3'ou  ;  but  that  ye  be  perfectly 
joined  together  in  the  same  mind,  and  in  the  same 
judgment." 

Another  exercise  of  Christian  love  will  be,  its  en- 
deavours to  avoid  all  occasions  of  offence.  These, 
through  the  many  and  fast-clinging  infirmities  of 
the  saints  of  God,  will  often  occur.  But  they  are  to 
be  avoided,  and  in  the  exercise  of  that  love  which 
proves  our  Christian  character,  they  will  be  avoided. 
The  child  of  God  will  desire  to  "  keep  the  unity  of 
the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace."  Whatever  tends  to 
weaken  that  bond,  he  will  endeavour  to  lay  aside. 
Whatever  he  may  discover  in  his  intercourse  with 
the  saints  calculated  to  wound,  to  distress,  to  alienate, 
to  ofiend,  either  in  his  manner,  or  in  his  spirit,  the 
healthy  exercise  of  holy  love  will  constrain  him  to 
overcome.  He  will  avoid  '  giving  offence."  lie  will 
be  modest  in.  the  expression  of  his  own  opinion,  re- 
spectful and  deferential  towards  the  opinion  of 
others.  He  will  avoid  that  recklessness  of  spirit 
which,  under  the  cover  of  faithfulness,  cares  not  to 
estimate  consequences  ;  but  which,  pursuing  its  heed- 
less way,  often  crushes  beneath  its  rough-shod  heel 
the  finest  feelings  of  the  human  heart;  saying  and 
doing  what  it  pleases,  regardless  of  the  wounds  which, 
all  the  while,  it  is  deeply  and  irreparably  inflicting. 
How  sedulous,  too,  will  he  be  to  avoid  anything 
like  a  dictatorial  manner  in  enunciating  his  judg- 
ment, and  all  hard  words  and  strong  expressions  iu 


OF    CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER.  259 

differing  from  authorities  of  equal,  perhaps  of  grea- 
ter weight  than  his  own.  Oh  !  were  this  divine  af- 
fection bat  more  deeply  lodged  in  the  hearts  of  all 
those  who  '  profess  and  call  themselves  Christians,' 
what  courtesy  of  manner  —  what  grace  of  deport- 
ment— what  tender  regard  of  one  another's  feelings 
— what  kindness  in  word  and  in  action  —  what  care- 
fulness to  avoid  inflicting  even  a  momentary  pain  — 
what  putting  away,  as  becometh  saints,  all  wrath, 
anger,  evil  speaking,  and  malice  —  and  what  con- 
stant remembrance  of  his  solemn  words,  wdio  said, 
*•  Whoever  shall  offend  one  of  these  little  ones  who 
believe  in  me,  it  were  better  that  a  mill-stone  were 
hanged  about  his  neck,  and  that  he  were  drowned 
in  the  depths  of  the  sea,"  —  would  each  believer  ex- 
hibit !  Lord,  fill  our  souls  more  and  more  with  this 
lovely  grace  of  love  ! 

The  forgiveness  of  offences  is  an  operation  of 
Christian  love,  equally  as  essential  and  beautiful. 
If  there  is  a  single  exercise  of  divine  grace  in  which, 
more  than  in  any  other,  the  believer  resembles  God, 
it  is  this.  God's  love  to  man  is  exhibited  in  one 
great  and  glorious  manifestation  and  a  single  word 
expresses  it  —  forgiveness.  In  nothing  hath  He  so 
gloriously  revealed  Himself  as  in  the  exercise  of  this 
divine  prerogative.  E"owhere  does  He  appear  so 
like  Himself  as  here..  He  forgives  sin,  and  the 
pardon  of  sin  involves  the  bestowment  of  every  other 
blessing.  How  often  are  believers  called  upon  thus 
to  imitate  God !  And  how  like  Him  in  spirit,  in 
affection,  and  in  action  do  they  appear,  when,  with 


260 

true  greatness  of  soul  and  with  lofty  magnanimity 
of  mind,  they  fling  from  their  hearts,  and  efiace 
from  their  memories,  all  traces  of  the  oiFence  that 
has  heen  given,  and  of  the  injury  that  has  been 
received !  How  aftecting  and  illustrious  the  example 
of  the  expiring  Redeemer!  At  the  moment  that 
his  deepest  wound  was  inflicted,  as  if  blotting  out 
the  sin  and  its  remembrance  with  the  very  blood 
that  it  shed,  he  prayed,  as  the  last  drop  oozed  and 
as  the  last  breath  departed,  "  ¥ather,  forgive  them  !" 
How  fully  and  fearfully  might  he  have  avenged 
himself  at  that  moment !  A  stronger  than  Samson 
hung  upon  the  cross.  And  as  he  bowed  his  human 
nature  and  yielded  up  his  spirit,  he  could  as  easily 
have  bowed  the  pillars  of  the  universe,  burying  his 
murderers  beneath  its  ruins.  But  no !  he  was  too 
great  for  this.  His  strength  should  be  on  the  side 
of  mercy.  His  revenge  should  WTeak  itself  in  com- 
passion. He  would  heap  coals  of  Are  upon  their 
heads.  He  would  overcome  and  conquer  the  evil — 
but  he  would  overcome  and  conquer,  it  with  good, 
"Father,  forgive  them."  It  is  in  the  constant  view 
of  this  forgiveness  that  the  followers  of  Christ 
desire,  on  all  occasions  of  offence  given,  whether 
real  or  imaginary,  to  "forgive  those  who  trespass 
against  them."  Themselves  the  subjects  of  a 
greater  and  diviner  forgiveness,  they  would  be 
prompt  to  exercise  the  same  holy  feeling  towards  an 
oftending  brother.  In  the  remembrance  of  the  ten 
thousand  talents  from  whose  payment  his  Lord  has 
released  him,  he  will   not  hesitate  to   cancel  the 


OF   CHRISTIAN   CHARACTER.  261 

hundred  pence  owing  to  him  by  his  fellow-servant. 
Where,  then,  will  you  find  any  exercise  of  brotherly 
love  more  God-like  and  divine  than  this  ?  In  its 
immediate  tender,  its  greatest  sweetness  and  richest 
charm  appear.  The  longer  it  is  delayed,  the  more 
difficult  becomes  the  duty.  The  imagination  is 
allowed  to  dwell  upon,  and  the  mind  to  brood 
over,  a  slight  offence  received,  perhaps  never 
intended,  until  it  has  increased  to  such  a  magnitude 
as  almost  to  extend,  in  the  eye  of  the  aggrieved 
party,  beyond  the  limit  of  forgiveness. 

And  then  follows  an  endless  train  of  evils;  —  the 
wound  festers  and  inflames ;  the  breach  widens  ; 
coldness  is  manifested ;  malice  is  cherished ;  every 
w^ord,  look,  and  act,  are  misinterpreted ;  the  molehill 
grows  into  a  mountain,  and  the  little  rivulet  swells 
into  an  ocean,  and  happiness  and  peace  retire  from 
scenes  so  uncongenial,  and  from  hearts  so  full  of  all 
hatred  and  strife.  Bat  how  lovely  in  its  appearance, 
and  how  pleasurable  in  the  feelings  it  enkindles,  is 
a  prompt  exercise  of  Christian  forgiveness  !  Before 
the  imagination  has  had  time  to  play,  or  the  wo. aid 
to  fester,  or  ill-minded  persons  to  interfere.  Christian 
love  has  triumphed,  and  all  is  forgiven  !  How  fall  of 
meaning  is  our  blessed  Lord's  teaching  on  this  point 
of  Christian  daty  !  It  behoves  us  prayerfully  and 
constantly  to  ponder  his  word.  Peter  inquired  of 
him,  "Lord,  how  often  shall  my  brother  sin  against 
me,  and  I  forgive  him  ;  till  seven  times  ?  Jesus 
saith  unto  him,  I  say  not.  Until  seven  times,  but, 
Until  seventy  times  seven,''''     Thus,  true  love  has  no 


2G2  CHRISTIAN     LOVE,    A    TEST 

limits  to  its  forgiveness.  If  it  descries  in  the  bosom 
of  the  offender  the  faintest  marks  of  regret,  of 
contrition,  and  of  return,  like  Him  from  whose 
heart  it  comes,  it  is  "ready  to  forgive,"  even  "  until 
seventy  times  seven."  0  who  can  tell  the  debt  w^e 
owe  to  His  repeated,  perpetual  forgiveness  ?  And 
shall  I  refuse  to  be  reconciled  to  my  brother  ?  Shall 
I  withhold  from  him  the  hand  of  love,  and  let  the 
sun  go  down  upon  my  wrath?  Because  he  has 
trampled  upon  me,  who  have  so  often  acknowledged 
myself  the  chief  of  sinners  ;  because  he  has  slighted 
my  self-importance,  or  has  wounded  my  pride,  or 
has  grieved  my  too  sensitive  spirit,  or,  it  is  possible, 
without  just  cause,  has  uttered  hard  speeches,  and 
has  lifted  up  his  heel  against  me,  shall  I  keep  alive 
the  embers  of  an  unforgiving  spirit  in  my  heart? 
Or  rather,  shall  I  heap  coals  of  fire  upon  his  head, 
not  to  consume  him  wdth  wrath,  but  to  overcome 
him  with  love  ?  How  has  God  my  Father,  how  has 
Jesus  my  Redeemer,  my  Friend,  dealt  w^ith  me? 
Even  so  will  I  deal  with  my  offending  brother.  I 
wall  not  even  wait  until  he  comes  and  acknowledges 
his  fault.  I  will  go  to  him  and  tell  him  that,  at  the 
mercy-seat,  beneath  the  cross,  with  my  eye  upon  the 
loving,  forgiving  heart  of  God,  I  have  resolved  to 
forgive  all,  and  will  forget  all.  *'And  when  ye 
stand  -prsiyiug,  forgive,  if  ye  have  aught  against  any ; 
that  your  Father  also  which  is  in  heaven  may  forgive 
you  your  trespasses.  But  if  ye  do  not  forgive, 
neither  will  your  Father  in  heaven  forgive  your 
trespasses."    Mark  xi.  25,  26. 


OF   CHRrSTIAN    CHARACTER.  263 


But  some  may  reply,  The  breach  is  of  so  long 
standing,  it  is  now  too  late  to  seek  reconcihation. 
An  old  and  acute  writer  thus  meets  the  objection  ; 
"  Well,  then,  if  it  be  too  late,  give  me  leave  to  en- 
treat one  thing  at  thy  hands  ;  it  is  this  :  I  say  if  it 
be  too  late,  and  you  say  it  is  too  late  to  be  recon- 
ciled and  to  love  one  another,  let  me  entreat  this, 
that  you  should  lay  aside  your  garments  —  the  gar- 
ments of  your  profession  of  being  Christ's  disciples. 
For  our  Saviour  saith,  "  By  this  shall  all  men  know 
that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  an- 
other."  And,  therefore,  if  it  be  too  late  to  love  one 
another,  and  to  be  reconciled,  come  and  let  us  lay 
down  our  garments,  let  us  lay  down  our  profession 
of  being  the  disciples  of  Christ ;  yea,  let  us  lay  down 
our  expectation  of  heaven  too,  for  saith  the  apostle, 
*  Flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of 
God.'   And  is  not  passion,  maHce,  and  want  of  love, 
flesh  and  blood  ?     Certainly-,  certainly,  if  I  do  not 
walk  in  this  way  of  love,  it  is  not  all  my  parts  and 
all  my  gifts  that  will  bail  me  from  the  arrest  of  that 
scripture,  *  Flesh  and   blood  shall   not  inherit  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.'   Believe  it,  believe  it,  it  is  not 
too  late,  it  is   not  too  late  to   love   one   another; 
it  is   not  too   late  to  do   my  work   as   long  as  it 
is  not  too  late  to  receive  my  wages.     And  if  I  say, 
it  is  too  late  to  be  reconciled,  what  if  God  say  to 
me,  then  it  is  too  late  for  my  soul  to  be  saved  ?" 
And  oh!  what  a  lovely  spectacle  would  it  be  — a 
spectacle  on  which  angels  would  look  down  with  de- 
light—to see,  in  the  exercise  of  this  all-divine,  all- 


264  CHRISTIAN   LOVE,  A   TEST 

powerful,  all-expulsive  emofion  of  Christian  love, 
individuals,  or  families,  or  churches,  who  had  long 
been  at  variance  one  with  another,  now  drawn  to- 
gether in  sweet  affection,  past  injuries  and  old  ani- 
mosities forgotten  in  the  joys  of  perfect  reconcilia- 
tion, forgiveness,  and  love !  Let  the  holy  attempt 
be  made.  *'  Put  on,  therefore,  as  the  elect  of  God, 
holy  and  beloved,  bowels  of  mercies,  kindness,  hum- 
bleness of  mind,  meekness,  long-suffering,  forbear- 
ing one  another,  and  forgiving  one  another,  if  any 
man  hath  a  quarrel  against  any :  even  as  Christ  for- 
gave you,  so  also  do  ye." 

Christian  forbearance  is  another  beautiful  exhibi- 
tion of  this  feeling.  The  image  of  God  is  but  im- 
perfectly restored  in  the  renewed  soul.  The  resem- 
blance to  Christ  in  the  most  matured  believer,  is  at 
best  but  a  faint  copy.  In  our  intercourse  with  the 
saints  of  God,  we  often  meet  with  much  that  calls 
for  the  exercise  of  our  indulgence;  many  weaknesses 
of  the  flesh  and  of  the  spirit ;  and  many  peculiari- 
ties of  thought  and  of  manner.  There  are,  too,  di- 
versities of  gifts,  and  degrees  of  grace.  Some  are 
more  deeply  taught  than  others  —  some  are  strong, 
and  some  are  weak — some  travel  rapidly,  and  others 
slowly — some  are  fearless  and  intrepid,  others  are 
timid  and  scrupulous.  Now  all  these  things  call  for 
the  exercise  of  Christian  forbearance.  The  apostle 
clearly  defines  the  rule  that  should  guide  us  here  : 
"  We  that  are  strong  ought  to  bear  the  infirmities 
of  the  weak,  and  not  to  please  ourselves." 

Especially  in  church  intercourse  will  the  grace  of 


OF   CIIIITSTIAX   CHARACTER.  265 

forbearance  be  called  into  requisition.  When  the 
providence  of  God  has  thrown  together  a  commu- 
nity of  individuals,  composed  of  a  great  variety  of 
character,  and  of  mind,  and  of  constitutional  tem- 
perament, although  each  grade  may  be  more  or  less 
modified  by  the  renewing  of  the  Spirit,  there  will 
still  be  a  broad  field  for  the  passive  exercise  of  love. 
In  a  church,  necessarily  imperfect,  there  may  be 
found  to  exist  many  things,  in  which  taste  as  well 
as  judgment  will  be  found  at  fault,  calculated  to 
engender  a  feeling  of  dislike,  and  even  of  disgust, 
in  a  mind  refined  and  delicate.  But  here  Christian 
forbearance  must  be  exercised.  They  are  the  infir- 
mities of  the  weak  of  Christ's  flock,  and  they  who 
are  stronger  in  grace  should  kindly  and  patiently 
bear  them.  In  pursuing  a  difterent  course,  we  may 
wound  some  of  the  most  gracious,  humble,  and 
prayerful  saints  of  God.  We  may  be  but  little 
aware  with  what  frequent  and  deep  humiliation  in 
secret,  their  conscious  failings  may  overwhelm 
them.  And  we  ought  to  bear  in  mind,  that  if  we 
sometimes  might  wish  to  see  in  them  less  that  was 
rough  in  speech,  and  abrupt  and  forward  in  manner, 
and  fault-finding  in  disposition,  thet/  may  detect  in 
us  a  loftiness  of  spirit,  a  coldness  of  manner,  and 
an  apparent  haughtiness  of  carriage,  which  may  be 
an  equal  trial  to  them,  demanding  the  exercise  on 
their  part  of  the  same  grace  of  forbearance  towards 
us.  How  watchful,  how  tender,  how  kind,  then, 
should  w^e  be,  ever  standing  with  that  broad  mantle 
of  love  in  our  hands,  which  "suffereth  long,  and  is 
23 


266  CHRISTIAN    LOVE,    A   TEST 

kind  ;  which  secketh  uot  its  own  ;  is  not  easily  pro- 
voked," prepared  to  cast  it  over  the  failing  of  a 
Christian  brother,  the  moment  it  meets  the  eye  ! 

The  duty  of  brotherly  admonition  and  reproof  is  a 
perfectly  legitimate  exercise  of  Christian  love.  It 
may  be  found  the  most  difficult,  but  the  result  will 
prove  it  to  be  the  most  holy  and  precious  operation 
of  this  grace.  The  Church  of  God  is  one  family, 
linked  together  by  ties  and  interests  the  closest,  the 
holiest,  and  the  tenderest.  It  is  natural,  therefore, 
that  each  member  should  desire  for  the  others  the 
utmost  perfection  of  Christian  attainment,  and  must 
feel  honoured  or  dishonoured,  as  the  case  may  be, 
by  the  walk  and  conversation  of  those  with  whom 
the  relationship  is  so  close.  In  Christian  friendship, 
too,  the  same  feeling  is  recognised.  We  naturally 
feel  anxious  to  see  in  one  whom  we  tenderly  love, 
the  removal  of  whatever  detracts  from  the  beauty, 
the  symmetry,  and  the  perfection  of  Christian 
character.  Here,  then,  will  the  duty  of  brotherly 
admonition  and  reproof  find  its  appropriate  sphere 
of  exercise.  But  few  things  contribute  more  to  the 
formation  of  Christian  character,  and  to  the  holy 
walk  of  a  church,  than  the  faithful,  Christ-like  dis- 
charge of  this  duty.  It  is  true,  it  requires  no  ordi- 
nary degree  of  grace  in  him  who  administers,  and 
in  him  who  receives,  the  reproof.  That  in  the  one 
there  should  be  nothing  of  the  spirit  which  seems 
to  say,  "  Stand  by,  I  am  holier  than  thou  ;"  nothing 
to  give  needless  pain  or  humiliation,  but  the  utmost 
meekness,  gentleness,  and  tenderness ;  and  that  in 


OF   CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER.  2G7 

the  other,  there  should  be  the  tractable  and  humble 
mind,  that  admits  the  failing,  receives  the  reproof, 
and  is  grateful  for  the  admonition.  "  Let  the  right- 
eous smite  me,"  says  David,  ''it  shall  be  a  khid- 
ness ;  and  let  him  reprove  me,  it  shall  be  an  excel- 
lent oil."  "  He  that  refuseth  reproof  erreth,  and  he 
that  heareth  reproof  getteth  understanding,  and  shall 
be  honoured.  Open  rebuke  is  better  than  secret 
love;  and  faithful  are  the  wounds  of  a  friend." 
Thus,  while  this  duty  is  administered  and  received 
in  the  spirit  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus,  the 
Church  will  be  kindly  aftectioned  one  to  another, 
knit  together  in  love,  and  growing  up  into  that  state 
m  which  she  will  be  without  a  spot,  or  a  wrinkle, 
or  any  such  thing. 

True  Christian  love  will  avoid  taking  the  seat  of 
judgment.  There  are  few  violations  of  the  law  of 
love  more  common  than  those  rash  and  premature 
ex  cathedra  judgments,  which  some  Christians  are 
ever  ready  to  pronounce  upon  the  actions,  the  prin- 
ciples, and  the  motives  of  others.  And  yet  a  more 
difficult  and  delicate  position  no  Christian  man  can 
be  placed  in  than  this.  To  form  a  true  and  correct 
opmion  of  a  certain  line  of  conduct,  we  must  often 
possess  the  heart-searching  eye  of  God.  We  must 
be  intimately  acquainted  with  all  the  hidden 
motives,  and  must  be  fully  in  possession  of  all  the 
concomitant  circumstances  of  the  case,  before  we 
can  possibly  arrive  at  anything  like  an  accurate 
opinion.  Thus,  in  consequence  of  this  blind  pre- 
mature pre-judgment,  this  rash  and  hasty  decision, 


268  CHRISTIAN   LOVE,    A   TEST 

the  worst  possible  construction  is  often  put  upon  the 
actions  and  the  remarks  of  others,  extremely  unjust 
and  deeply  wounding  to  the  feelings.  But  especially 
inconsistent  with  this  love,  when  small  unessential 
differences  of  opinion  in  the  explanation  of  scrip- 
tural facts,  and  consequent  nonconformity  in  creed 
and  discipline,  are  construed  into  rejection  of  the 
faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints,  and  made  the 
occasion  of  hard  thoughts,  unkind  and  severe  treat- 
ment. Let  us  then  hear  the  Lord's  words,  "  Judge 
not,  that  ye  be  not  judged."  And  the  apostle's, 
""Why  dost  thou  judge  thy  brother?  Or  why  dost 
thou  set  at  nought  thy  brother?  for  we  shall  all 
stand  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ.  Let  us 
not  therefore  judge  one  another  any  more." 

Christian  liberality^  in  alleviating  the  necessities  of 
the  Lord's  poor,  is  an  attribute  of  brotherly  love 
which  we  must  not  pass  by  unnoticed.  The  greater 
number  of  the  Lord's  people  are  "poor  in  this 
world."  "I  will  leave  in  the  midst  of  thee  a  poor 
and  an  afflicted  people,  and  they  shall  trust  in  the 
Lord."  The  poor,  the  Church  has  always  with  her. 
They  are  a  precious  legacy  committed  to  her  care 
by  her  ascended  Lord. 

The  line  of  Christian  duty  is  clear  respecting  them. 
Even  in  the  old  dispensation,  we  find  more  than  a 
dim  shadowing  forth  of  this  duty.  "  If  thy  brother 
be  waxen  poor,  thou  shalt  relieve  him.  Thou  shalt 
not  give  him  thy  money  on  usury,  nor  lend  him  thy 
victuals  for  increase."  Lev.  xxv.  35.  "If  there  be 
among  you  a  poor  man  of  one  of  thy  brethren,  thou 


OF    CHRISTIAN   CHARACTER.  269 

shalt  not  harden  thy  heart  nor  shut  thy  hand  from 
thy  poor  brother;  but  thou  shalt  open  thy  hand 
wide  unto  him,  and  shalt  surely  lend  him  sufficient 
for  his  need.  And  thy  heart  shall  not  be  grieved, 
(i.  e.y  shall  not  begrudge  the  gift,  but  shall  give 
cheerfully^)  when  thou  givest  unto  him."  Deut.  xv. 
7 — 11.  This  duty  becomes  still  more  obhgatory, 
and  is  enforced  with  still  stronger  motives,  under 
the  Christian  dispensation.  "Whoso  hath  this 
world's  good,  and  seeth  his  brother  have  need,  and 
shutteth  up  his  bowels  of  compassion  from  him,  how 
dwelleth  the  love  of  God  in  him  ?  My  little  children, 
let  us  not  love  in  word,  neither  in  tongue,  but  in 
deed  and  in  truth."  Thus,  "by  love  we  serve  one 
another."  And  that  holy  luxury  of  feeling  has  the 
Lord  associated  with  the  discharge  of  this  Christian 
duty !  Who  has  not  realized,  in  walking  in  this 
sweet  and  lovely  precept,  a  blessing  peculiar  to 
itself?  Who  has  not  felt  that  it  was  "  more  blessed 
to  give  than  to  receive;"  that  in  this  walk,  the 
greatest  expenditure  has  always  resulted  in  the 
greatest  increase;  and  that  in  supplying  Christ's 
need  in  his  poor,  tried,  and  necessitous  representa- 
tives, Christ  has  himself  met  us  in  the  way  with  some 
manifest  token  of  his  gracious  approval  ?  0  for 
more  love  to  Christ  as  exhibited  towards  his  people  ! 
To  see  only  Christ  in  them — be  they  mean,  or  poor, 
or  tried,  or  infirm,  or  despised,  or  reviled,  or  sick, 
or  in  prison,  or  in  bonds  —  to  recognise  Christ  in 
them,  aud  to  love  Christ  in  them,  and  to  serve 
Christ  in  them.     This  would  bring  more  sweet  dis- 


270  CHRISTIAN    LOVE,    A    TEST 

coveries  of  the  inbeing  of  Christ  in  our  own  souls. 
How  could  we  show  our  love  to  Christ  in  another, 
and  not  feel  the  sunshine  of  his  love  in  our  own 
hearts  ?  Impossible  !  Oh  !  to  hear  him  speak  when 
the  case  of  need  presents  itself,  "Inasmuch  as  ye 
have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my 
brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me  !" 

True  Christian  love  will  excite  in  the  mind,  a 
Tioly  jealousy  for  the  Christian  reputation  of  other 
believers.  How  sadly  is  this  overlooked  by  many 
professors !  What  sporting  with  reputation,  what 
trifling  with  character,  what  unveiling  to  the  eyes 
of  others,  the  weaknesses,  and  the  infirmities,  and 
the  stumblings,  of  which  they  have  become  cogni- 
zant, marks  many  in  our  day  !  Oh  !  if  the  Lord 
had  dealt  with  us,  as  we  have  thoughtlessly  and 
"uncharitably  dealt  with  our  fellow-servants,  what 
shame  and  confusion  would  cover  us  !  We  should 
blush  to  lift  up  our  faces  before  men.  But  the 
exercise  of  this  divine  love  in  the  heart  will  con- 
strain us  to  abstain  from  all  envious,  suspicious 
feelings,  from  all  evil  surmisings,  from  all  wrong 
construing  of  motives,  from  all  tale-bearing —  that 
fruitful  cause  of  so  much  evil  in  the  Christian  church 
— from  slander,  from  unkind  insinuations,  and  from 
going  from  house  to  house,  retailing  evil,  and 
making  the  imperfections,  the  errors,  or  the  doings 
of  others,  the  theme  of  idle,  sinful  gossip, —  "  busy- 
bodies  in  other  men's  matters."  All  this  is  utterly 
inconsistent  Avitli  our  high  and  holy  calling.  It  is 
degrading,  dishonouring,  lowering  to  our  character 


OF   CHRISTIAN   CHARACTER.  271 

as  the  children  of  God.  It  dims  the  lustre  of  our 
piety.  It  impairs  our  moral  influence  in  the  Avorld. 
Ought  not  the  character  of  a  Christian  professor  to 
be  as  dear  to  me  as  my  own  ?  And  ought  I  not  as 
vigilantly  to  watch  over  it,  and  as  zealously  to 
promote  it,  and  as  indignantly  to  vindicate  it, 
when  unjustly  aspersed  or  maliciously  assailed, 
as  if  I,  and  not  he,  were  the  suflerer?  How 
can  the  reputation  of  a  believer  in  Jesus  be 
aflfected,  and  we  not  be  affected  ?  It  is  our  common 
Lord  who  is  wounded — it  is  our  common  salvation 
that  is  injured  —  it  is  our  own  family  that  is  ma- 
ligned. And  our  love  to  Jesus,  to  his  truth,  and  to 
his  people,  should  caution  us  to  be  as  jealous  of  the 
honour,  as  tender  of  the  feelings,  and  as  watchful 
of  the  character  and  reputation  of  every  member 
of  the  Lord's  family,  be  his  denomination  what  it 
may,  as  of  our  own.  "Who  is  weak,"  says  the 
apostle,  "  and  I  am  not  weak  ?  who  is  offended,  and 
I  burn  not?"  0  how  graciously,  how  kindly,  does 
our  God  deal  witli  His  people!  Lading  His  hand 
upon  their  many  spots.  He  seems  to  say,  "  ISlo  eye 
but  mine  shall  see  them."  Oh !  let  us,  in  this 
particular,  be  "  imitators  of  God  as  dear  children  !" 
Thus  shall  we  more  clearly  evidence  to  others,  and 
be  assured  ourselves,  that  we  have  "passed  from 
death  unto  life."  But,  inviting  as  it  is,  we  must 
conduct  this  subject  to  a  close. 

Anticipate  the  happiness  of  heaveri.  It  is  a  world 
of  love.  Love  reigns  in  every  heart — beams  from 
every  eye — glows  on  ever  cheek,  and  breathes  from 


272 

every  lip.  ISTo thing  is  there  tending  to  interrupt 
the  deepest  flow  of  this,  the  holiest,  the  divinest, 
and  the  sweetest  of  all  affections.  The  God  of  love 
is  there  ;  and  Jesus,  the  revelation  of  love,  is  there ; 
and  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  revealer  of  love,  is  there ; 
and  from  the  infinite  plenitude  of  each,  the  glori- 
fied spirits  receive  and  drink  full  and  everlasting 
draughts  of  love.  O  blissful  regions  these,  where 
there  are  no  more  strifes,  and  divisions,  and  selfish- 
ness, and  pride,  and  ambition,  and  coldness,  and 
discord  ;  but  where  the  songs  are  the  music  of  love ; 
and  the  trees  w^ave  in  the  winds  of  love ;  and  the 
rivers  flow  with  the  fulness  of  love ;  and  the  air  is 
balmy  with  the  soothing  of  love ;  and  the  bowers 
are  fragrant  with  the  odours  of  love. 

"  Love  is  the  golden  chain  that  binds  the  happy  souls  above, 
And  he's   an  heir  of  heaven,  who  finds  his  bosom  glow  with 
love." 

Let  us  more  deeply  cherish  in  our  bosoms  this 
heaven-born  affection ;  let  us  cultivate  it  more  and 
more  towards  all  with  whom  we  hope  to  spend  our 
eternity  of  joy.  Let  us  "love  as  brethren."  Why 
should  we  'fall  out  by  the  w^ay,'  when  we  are  jour- 
neying to  the  same  land  of  promise?  And  why 
should  we  stand  aloof  from  one  another,  when  we 

ARE  ALL  ONE  IN  ChRIST  JeSUS  ? 

"  We  are  *  one  in  Christ  our  Lord,' 
Time  has  no  chain  to  bind  us, 
We  fear  not  death's  sharp  sword. 
And  the  grave  we  leave  behind  us. 


OF    CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER.  273 

"  "We  are  one  in  faith  below, 
In  hope  and  consolation, 
Though  garb  and  colours  show 
Shadows  of  variation. 

"  "We  are  one  in  love  divine 
Each  stony  heart  renewing, 
Let  it  reflected  shine, 

Christians,  your  hearts  imbuing. 

"  We  are  one  from  Christ's  last  prayer, 
Whom  the  Father  heareth  ever. 
And  how  can  we  despair, — 
"Who  from  his  love  can  sever  ? 

"  "We  are  '  one  in  homes  on  high, 
"Which  Jesus  is  preparing. 
For  the  blessed  ones  who  die. 
One  cross,  one  glory  sharing. 

"  "W"e  are  '  one  in  Christ  our  Lord,' 
0  Thou,  of  peace  the  Giver, 
From  every  strife  abhorred 
Thy  family  deliver. 

"  "We  are  *  one  in  Christ  our  Lord,' 
He  speaks  who  knows  no  turning 
And  we  stay  upon  his  word. 
Its  light  afar  discerning. 

"  We  are  '  one  in  Christ  our  Lord,' 
Though  earth  and  hell  endeavour 
To  change  his  mighty  word, 
Its  truth  abideth  ever." 

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PROCTOR'S    HISTORY    OF    THE    CRUSADES 

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HISTOEY  OF  THE  CRUSADES, 

THEIR  RISE,  PROGRESS,  AND  RESULTS.     By  Major  Proctob,  «f  tb« 

Royal  Military  Academy.    ■ 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  I.  The  First  Crusade. — Causes  of  the  Crnsades — Preaching  ox  thi 
First  Crusade — Peter  the  Hermit — The  Crusade  nndertaken  by  the  People — 
The  Crusade  undertaken  by  the  Kings  and  Nobles — The  First  Crusaders  at 
Constantinople — The  Siege  of  Nice — Defeat  of  the  Turks — Seizure  of  Edessa — 
Siege  and  Capture  of  Antioch  by  the  Crusaders — Defence  of  Antioch  by  th« 
Crusaders — Siege  and  Capture  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Crusaders. 

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of  the  Orders  of  Religious  Chivalry — Fall  of  Edessa — Preaching  of  the  Second 
Crusade — Louis  VII.  and  Conrad  III.  in  Palestine. 

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Coeur  de  Lion  in  Palestine. 

CHAPTER  IV.  The  Fourth  Crusade.— The  French,  Germans,  and  Ttaliana 
unite  in  the  Crusade — Affairs  of  the  Eastern  Empire — Expedition  against  Con- 
stantinople— Second  Siege  of  Constantinople. 

CHAPTER  V,  The  Last  Four  Crusades.— History  of  the  Latin  Empb-e  of 
the  East— The  Fifth  Crusade— The  Sixth  Crusade— The  Seventh  Crusade- -The 
Eighth  Crusade. 

CHAPTER  VI. — Consequences  op  the  Crusades. 


At  the  present  time,  when  a  misunderstanding  concerning  the  Holy  Places  at 
Jerusalem  has  given  rise  to  a  war  involving  four  of  the  great  Powers  of  Europe, 
the  mind  naturally  reverts  to  the  period  when  nearly  all  the  military  powers  of 
Europe  made  a  descent  on  Palestine  for  the  recovery  of  them  from  the  possession 
of  the  infidels.  It  would  seem  that  the  interest  in  these  places  is  still  alive;  and 
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THE  CAMP-FIRES  OF  THE  EEYOLUTION 

OR,  THE  WAR  OF  INDEPENDENCE. 

ILLUSTRATED    BY   THRILLING   EVENTS    AND    STORIES    BY   THE 

OLD  CONTINENTAL  SOLDIERS. 

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CONTENTS. 
THE   CAMP-FIRES 


On  Dorchester  Heights* 
At  Cambridge. 
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At  Middlehrook. 

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FROM    THE     "WRITINGS     OF 
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AND  OTHER  CELEBRATED  AUTHORS. 

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BERNARD  BARTON'S  LIFE,  LETTERS,  AND  POEMS. 

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I 

■  I 

'M 
-I 

•  i 


